


chasing ghosts

by Digitallywriting



Category: The Dark Artifices Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Just finished reading qoaad, M/M, Rewrite, and I'm feeling a lot of things, don't read if you haven't read qoaad, how i wanted qoaad to go, mainly kit and ty related, qoaad spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2019-09-30 16:09:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 39,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17227169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Digitallywriting/pseuds/Digitallywriting
Summary: Used to be called 'Kit and Ty~Thorns' but i didn't like that nameI finished reading Queen of air and darkness and it made me feel a lot of feelings (mainly sad ones about Kit and Ty) so this is my self-indulgent fanfic wherein Kit and Ty talk things through, and things go differently. This will follow the plot of the last few chapters of QoAaD and then I'll probably go my own way.SPOILERS FOR QUEEN OF AIR AND DARKNESS. so dont read if you havent read it, or you'll ruin your reading experience.I do not own any of the characters and take no credit for the world cassandra clare created





	1. one

"Don’t do this!” Kit spoke up suddenly, surprised at his own brusqueness. Ty looked up at him from his crouched position, shocked.  
“Don’t raise Livvy from the dead.” Kit was shaking, his face cold and wet with tears.  
“But I have to.” His desperate eyes locked with Kit’s. I can’t live without Livvy.”  
“yes you can,” kit whispered. “you can. You think this is going to make your family stronger, but it will destroy them if you bring her back. You think you cant survive without her, but you can. You have me, and we can go through it together.” Hot tears were streaming down kits face, burning his eyes. “I love you, ty. I love you.”  
Ty’s face went blank with surprise- Kit continued to talk, not sure what he was saying anymore.  
“she’s gone, Ty. She’s gone forever. You have to get through this. Your family will help you. I will help you. But not if you do this. Ty, you can’t do this.”  
The blankness disappeared from Ty’s face twisted, like he was trying not to cry. Kit’s stomach lurched painfully-he hated seeing Ty like this, so vulnerable and in pain.  
“I have to, Kit. I have to get her back.” Ty threw himself forward down the bank of the lake, clutching Livvy’s locket, both of his fists balled so tightly it looked as though his knuckles were about to puncture his skin. Kit followed, throwing himself over Ty’s body as he began to chant the incantation. Ty yelped in surprise and fell forward. Both boys rolled the rest of the way down the bank, Kit grappling with Ty, trying to uncurl his fists. Ty was panting beneath him, trying to keep the incantation going . The circle had begun to burn, the objects smoking, the smell of burning filling Kit’s nostrils, making him choke. Ty took the small opening and kicked his legs out, hitting Kit firmly in the chest. Kit fell off of Ty, rolling slightly, choking from the smoke and the blow to his rib-cage.  
“I’m sorry Kit, I’m sorry.” Ty sobbed. Kit watched, struggling to move, as Ty knelt by the edge of the water. The water began to ripple softly.  
“Please.” Kit’s voice came out barely a whisper. Ty didn’t turn around, but Kit saw his back tense slightly. Kit pressed forward desperately.  
“Didn’t you hear me, Ty? Don’t do this. It won’t be Livvy. You heard what Shade said, it won’t be here it will be a-a shell of who she used to be. Just stop. Your family will never forgive you if you do this,” Kit knew he was being harsh; he never dreamed he would be hurting Ty like this, but if it was the only way to get him to stop...  
“I won’t forgive you,” Kit saw Ty falter. “Please. I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you.” Ty stopped entirely, and Kit sobbed in relief, doubling over himself in a mixture of pain and solace. Ty turned around, his face wracked with guilt and upset.  
“Christopher-“ He choked out. Kit clutched at his stomach, his head dropped, hair flopping over his forehead. He was vaguely aware of Ty scuffling over to him on all fours. A pair of arms wrapped around him tightly. Kit let out an ugly sob, and the arms held him tighter.  
“I’m sorry Kit. I’m sorry I hurt you, I’m-“ A flash of light shot up from the lake, sending Ty and Kit on their backs. The white light was gone as quickly as it had appeared. Ty shot up quick as a flash, only to collapse right back on his knees when he saw the shining silhouette of Livvy, hovering several feet above the water. Kit wanted desperately to reach out for Ty, but he couldn’t move-his entire body had seized up. Livvy was looking at Ty, her face entirely expressionless. She was as white as the stars in the sky, her dress sparkling and flowing gently. It was the dress she had been put in at her funeral-the dress she was burned in. She looked like Livvy but... Not.  
“Livvy,” Ty’s voice was a whisper in the wind. Livvy stared down at him, her eyes bright with what Kit could only guess was sadness. Kit found his voice, and it came out rough and choked.  
“It’s not her, Ty. She’s a ghost.” Ty showed no indication that he had heard Kit. Ty reached out with a shaky hand, trying to touch ghost Livvy.  
“B-but, why aren’t you here? I did everything right. I did everything right.”  
“The catalyst you used was corrupted. It wasn’t strong enough to bring me back. But Ty, there maybe other consequences-“  
“but you can stay now right, can’t you? I-I thought, just now before you appeared, that I might be alright. That I would be able to get through life... without you.” Ty explained. Kit’s breath caught in his throat. Had he actually managed to get through to Ty?  
“But now that you’re here, you can stay. We can be a family again, and I don’t have to worry about trying to be alright, because with you, I know I will be.” Ty finished, the hint of a smile on his face. Kit’s heart sunk down to his toes. Kit knew he would never compare to Livvy, he knew Ty had a hole in his heart where Livvy used to be, and Kit had spent the past week trying desperately to fill that hole. He would never be enough; compared to Livvy, he was nothing to Ty. Kit felt as though he could curl up in a ball and cry (and Kit didn’t cry). Livvy’s eyebrows knit together in upset. She swayed toward her brother .  
“Is that what you want?” Livvy asked. Ty nodded furiously.  
“It’s why I did all of this. So you could be with me again. Is that... not what you want?” Ty asked, his voice cracking. Livvy tutted softly, and hovered down so that she was at eye level with Ty.  
“You don’t need me Ty-Ty. And bringing me back wouldn’t be good for the family. It won’t be me, and deep down, you know that,” Livvy looked up at Kit and smiled. Kit couldn’t move a muscle, despite wanting to so badly. “And it doesn’t look like you need me.” Ty whipped his head around to look at Kit; Kit couldn’t help but stare back, wondering what sort of thoughts were racing through his head. Ty turned back around to face Livvy.  
“Kit? But Kit’s... He’s...” Ty appeared lost for words, and Kit wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or not.  
“Kit... Isn’t you.” Ty finished. Kit couldn’t help the sudden rush of burning hot tears that ran from his eyes. Livvy looked at him pitifully. She knew. She knew how Kit felt about Ty and despite her best efforts, Ty just didn’t want him. Kit couldn’t blame Ty for that; but he would never mean anything to Ty, and he never had. That much was clear. Kit couldn’t stand to here anymore of this. He stood up quickly, his limbs dead beneath him. Ty turned around in surprise. He opened his mouth as if he was going to say something. Kit stumbled away, back up the lake bank and through the trees. Kit could taste a bitterness in the back of his throat, and he barely made the bush in time to empty the contents of his stomach. He collapsed in a heap against a tree, the rough bark scratching his bare arms, but he couldn’t feel it. He could faintly hear Livvy’s voice through the trees.  
“Ty. I loved you so much when I was alive. I love you now, even though I’m gone. I can no longer show you how much I love you, but there are people in your life who still can. And my love will shine through there’s. I can’t be with you physically, but. I’ll always be right there. But you’ve already brought me back in this semi-physical form, and there is always a price to pay with necromancy, I just pray you won’t have to pay it. I love you, Ty. I love you so much. And there’s a boy over there, who loves you just as much, in a different, more special way. And you’re breaking his heart right now.” There was a silence and some sniffling , and then Ty’s faint footsteps. Kit hauled himself up and quickly made his way back to camp. He was rubbing the wet from his eyes when he felt a hand clasp his shoulder. He turned around and saw Magnus standing over him, a concerned expression on his face.  
“Are you alright, Christopher?” He asked. Kit sniffled and nodded his head brusquely.  
“Uhuh, yeah I’m fine.” He said, his voice groggy. Magnus raised his eyebrow.  
“I get it. You’re a teenage boy, you aren’t supposed to have emotions. You are as stubborn as every other Herondale that’s for sure.” Magnus’ gaze softened as he took in Kit’s red-rimmed eyes and runny nose. “You can talk to me if you want someone to give you horrible, unhelpful advice, or I can show you pictures of Max and Rafe. They are just too cute to not share with the world.” Kit had to put his hands up to stop Magnus as he began to reach into his pockets for Kit could only assume was going to be pictures of his children. Magnus dropped his hand and pulled Kit in for a hug. As soon as Magnus’ arms reached around Kit, he burst into tears again. Kit stood clutched to Magnus for god knows how long, before Kit pulled away, blushing furiously. Magnus looked down at his shirt in mild disgust. Kit choked out a laugh.  
“Sorry.” He mumbled. Magnus ruffled his hair. “Boy troubles. We all have them.” He said. Kit looked at him startled. Magnus merely shrugged.  
“That is what this is about right. You weren’t just spending the whole day gazing wistfully at Tiberius because he’s your buddy. Trust me, I know what it’s like to quietly pine after someone. Alec can tell you all about that.” He winked and patted Kit on the shoulder.  
“I’ll be in my tent if you want to talk.” Before Kit could reply, Magnus was sauntering away. Kit stood where he was, wild eyed, for a moment, unsure of what to do. He wasn’t sure if Ty was back yet, he didn’t hear him walking back, but then again he had been pretty wrapped up in his own mind to have noticed. He traipsed back to his and Ty’s tent, confused and forlorn. The tent was shut, just as they had left it, and when Kit crawled into the small space, Ty was no where to be seen. Kit sighed wearily and settled into his sleeping bag, prepared for a night of restless sleep. He didn’t know how he was going to be able to face Ty in the morning, knowing that he means nothing to him. Knowing that he’s nothing more than a friendly face to Ty. 

Kit was woken up in the complete darkness to someone lightly shaking him. It took his sure-sighted rune a moment to work, but when its power came to full effect, he saw Ty leaning over him. His eyes were puffy and bloodshot, and his face was unusually pale. There was also spots of dark dried blood on his lips from where he must have been gnawing at them. Kit propped himself on his elbows and gave Ty an obviously forced crooked smile. Ty say back on his sleeping bag.  
“Kit-“ Ty started, his voice weary and worn down.  
“Is Livvy... Gone?” Kit interrupted. Ty looked down and nodded slowly.  
“But I think its for the best. She talked to me, explained her feelings. She made me understand that I was being... Selfish. She didn’t want to be brought back, and I should have listened to you when you told me that we can get through it together. And I listened to her when she told me that there are other people here that love me.” He kept his eyes trained to the open sleeping bag. Kit couldn’t breathe. He had no idea what Ty was trying to tell him, if he was even trying to tell him anything.  
“I hurt you. I hurt you with my actions, my words. I didn’t know what I was doing. I was so... fixed on trying to bring Livvy back that I didn’t even consider the effect it was having on you. I would never want to hurt you, I-I would never ever want to, um, hurt you.” Ty was clearly becoming uncomfortable, and Kit wanted to reach out and take his fidgeting hands in his own, but he refrained, partly because he was still upset at Ty and partly because she was unsure as to whether or not Ty would want any physical contact.  
“I don’t want to tell you that I’m alright with it, but I know that you got lost in trying to bring Livvy back.” Kit said. Ty looked up at Kit’s face, not looking him in the eyes.  
“Why didn’t you just tell me you weren’t okay going through with it? I would have done it on my own.” Ty asked speculatively.  
“I didn’t want you to do it at all! I was afraid that if I told you I didn’t want you to raise Livvy from the dead you would-you would hate me. And I don’t think I’d be able to cope with you not liking me. And I didn’t want you to do it on your own. I was... scared.” Kit’s voice dropped to a whisper. He had never been this honest and open with anyone before his entire life. His whole childhood was forged around secrets and lies and the thought of opening up to anyone, especially Ty, was absolutely terrifying to him. But then again, just hours earlier he told Ty he loved him, and if that wasn’t opening up then Kit didn’t know what was. Ty looked at Kit surprised.  
“Do you hate me Kit?” Ty asked, so quietly Kit barely heard him. Kit sighed deeply and leaned his head back, trying to stop the tears. What the hell is wrong with you, Christopher? Pull yourself together man.  
“You know exactly how I feel about you.” Kit said. Ty didn’t reply and Kit squeezed his eyes shut.  
“But I know that you don’t feel the same way and I don’t want to put anymore pressure on you that you’ve already got, so I think it’s best if you just forget I said anything, and we can go back to being friends.” Kit collapsed back onto his back, signalling the end of his side of the conversation. Ty sat stiff as a pole, staring down at Kit.  
“Kit, I-“ Ty started.  
Kit sat up suddenly, not looking at Ty. “Actually, I think it would be better if I slept somewhere else.” Kit pointedly didn’t look at Ty, but he was uncomfortably aware of Ty’s gaze on his back as he unzipped the tent, and crawled out.  
“Watson.” Ty said softly. Kit felt his heart snap in two. He re-zipped the tent and walked away without looking back.


	2. Two

Kit watched the sun rise over the trees, the red and orange beams hitting each individual tent. Kit had spent the night against a tree. He hadn’t slept at all. He had half wanted Ty to come rushing out of the tent after him, but of course he didn’t. Kit felt like shit; he had most definitely confused the hell out of Ty, and he dreaded to think what Ty thought of him now. People had begun leaving their tents to make small fires and cook breakfast. The smell of bacon wafted through the air, but it made him feel nauseous. He watched as Jace and Clary left their tent, talking animatedly at each other. Kit could see even from a distance how in love they both were with each other. It made his heart ache with a strange yearning. He wanted to be that in love with someone, and be loved like that in return. He tore his eyes away from Jace and Clary and immediately made eye contact with Ty. He looked fragile, like a china doll. His black hair made his skin look pasty and his grey eyes watery. Kit couldn’t help but think he looked beautiful. An aura of golden light formed around his silhouette, making him look angelic. Kit though the saw Ty open his mouth to say something, but he shut it quickly, turned, and walked towards the fire. Kit hit his head against the tree he was leaning against and groaned in pain. Simon, Isabelle, Jace, Clary and Magnus and Alec were all huddled together; Jace and Clary holding hands and talking strategy, Simon and Izzy had their heads pressed together, and Magnus had Alec’s head in his lap and was stroking his hair tenderly. Magnus saw Ty approaching the group, and then made eye contact with Kit, who hadn’t moved from his place in front of the tree. Magnus gave Kit a knowing look. Kit turned his head to the side, choosing instead to watch Cristina leaving the woods. Kit could only imagine what she had been doing in there.   
Everyone was set to go to the imperishable fields in an hour, and Kit watched everyone don their uniforms and rune themselves and their parabatai. Kit had been told several time by several different people that he and Ty were not to be joining everyone on the fields, as there was a possibility that a fight could break out and he and Ty were too young. Kit could understand why he wasn’t allowed to go, as he had only just found out he was a shadowhunter a couple months ago, and was vastly untrained, but Ty was one of the best shadowhunter’s Kit knew. The only reason Kit hadn’t put up a fight in Ty’s defence was the gut-wrenching torrent of panic and fear that shot through him at the idea of Ty being thrown into an unsuspected battle.   
Kit reluctantly got up and trotted over to Ty and everyone else. He kept his head down and his hands firmly in his pockets. Ty looked up at him, but didn’t smile, or show any proper indication of emotion. Kit looked away, but stayed by his side as Julian came up to them both.   
“You know you have to stay here, don’t you?” Julian said. Kit nodded once, but Ty seemed much more reluctant.  
“I don’t see why we have to stay back while everyone else gets to go to the Imperishable fields.” Ty complained.  
“We want to keep you safe.” Julian argued. Ty crossed his arms over his chest indignantly.  
“And we want to be there with you.” Ty fought back. Kit was aware that Ty was talking for the both of them, despite the fact that Kit wasn’t even dressed in appropriate fighting material. “We want to fight beside you.”  
“Ty. This isn’t a fight it’s a parley. A peace meeting. I can’t just bring my whole family with me.”  
“But it’s not like you were invited and we weren’t.” Kit had to admit that Ty always made good points in arguments, it always surprised him whenever he lost them.   
“If we all show up it would be chaos,” Julian said. “You need to stay here. You know what your job is.”  
Ty nodded reluctantly. “Give a warning. Stay safe.”   
Julian took Ty’s face in his hands, and Kit saw how young Ty looked. “That’s right. Stay safe, Tiberius.” Julian kissed him on the top of his head and walked over to talk to Emma. Jace walked over to Kit and put a hand gently on his shoulder.  
“You feeling alright?” Jace asked him. Kit nodded, unsure whether or not he and Jace had a close enough relationship for Kit to spew all of his emotions onto him. Jace smiled and took a dagger out of a small sheath; it was jewelled and carved with herons, the signet of the Herondale family. Jace handed it to a shocked kit.  
“I want you to have it. You’re a true Herondale now, and you deserve this.” Kit took the dagger from Jace, his mouth agape with wonder.  
“I-thank you. Thank you.” Kit stammered to find the proper words to express his gratitude, but he came up short. Jace bowed his head and turned away. Kit could feel the ghost of a smile on his face. He felt someone pull on his sleeve, and turned around to see Ty.   
“Come with me. We’re on lookout.” Kit had no choice but to be dragged by the sleeve past all the tents and through the shrubbery. He didn’t stop until we reached a large oak tree at the edge of the passing, overlooking the fields. Ty sat himself in the hollow of the oak tree. Kit wasn’t sure what to do, so he sat down next to him. They sat in awkward silence for long enough to be able to hear the beginnings of everyone making their way to the imperishable fields.   
“Are you really never going to talk to me again?” Ty finally said. Kit looked at him, trying to decipher his emotions. Ty was looking down at his sleeve, boring a hole into it with his thumb and forefinger. His hair had fallen in front of his face, and before Kit could stop himself, he had reached over and lifted the hair out of his eyes. Ty looked up surprise, his nose turning an embarrassed pink colour. Kit let his hand waver in the air, before letting it drop nervously. He turned away from Ty so Ty wouldn’t see how red he was turning.   
“We’re supposed to be keeping watch.” Kit said simply. Ty sniffed a little, but he didn’t stop looking at Kit.  
“Last night you said it was for the best that we forget what you said to me, and that we should just remain friends,” Ty said. Kit squeezed his eyes shut, cringing. “But you aren’t acting like how you used to act when we were friends. Are we friends still, Kit?” Ty whispered. Kit looked at Ty. Beautiful, wonderful Ty, who must be so confused because of Kit’s contradictory feelings and words.   
“Ty, I-I don’t know,” Kit heard Ty’s breath hitch and he shuffled closer. Ty’s hands were shaking, so Kit lifted his own over Ty’s, hesitantly hovering them above Ty’s, just to make sure he was allowed to. When Ty didn’t recoil, Kit placed his hands softly over Ty’s. Ty’s hands stopped shaking slightly, and Kit watched as Ty fiddled with Kit’s fingers, pulling each one gently, running his fingers along the lines of Kit’s palm. It was a surprisingly intimate thing for the both of them, and for a brief moment, Kit forgot he was supposed to be mad at Ty.  
“Look. I don’t want to go back on what I said to you by the lake, because then I would be lying to you. You know how I feel, and you’ve made your feelings for me pretty clear-“ Ty opened his mouth to protest, but Kit cut him off. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m expecting some sort of confession out of you, because I’m not. But I don’t know how I’m supposed to be around you, knowing that I don’t mean anything to you. It might actually kill me, Ty, to have to see you everyday around the institute, to sit down next to you at breakfast, to train with you, knowing that you don’t care. Ty, you’re the only reason I stayed at the institute in the first place, and if I can’t be around you, then there isn’t any point in me staying.” Kit’s grip on Ty’s hands had tightened so much his hands had begun to turn white. Ty didn’t look like it was hurting him though. Ty looked as though he was trying to digest everything Kit had just told him, and Kit immediately felt like an idiot. He released Ty’s hands, which now had white marks from where Kit’s fingers had been. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Kit wanted to throw himself down the hill and onto the field below. Maybe he’ll land on someone’s blade.   
“There are a lot of... feelings swirling around in my head, and I’m not sure what to do with all of them.” Ty said honestly, he looked as stressed as Kit felt.   
“You could tell me what they all are. Take some of the pressure off of you.” Kit wasn’t sure whether anything he had said sunk in, but he pushed aside his own feelings in order to help Ty figure out his.   
“Okay... I feel confused. Confused as to why you think I don’t care about you. I know I’m not very good at expressing my emotions, but I thought you knew. I really did.” Ty’s voice rose an octave. “I tried to show you- through my actions. Like, I like to hold your hands, and play with them, um, and I involve you in my mystery solving. You’re Watson, and there is only one Watson. I’m sorry you thought I didn’t care about you. Do you want me to tell you upfront how I feel regarding you in the future?” Kit laughed despite himself, at Ty’s formal tone.  
“Only if you feel comfortable doing that.” Kit replied. Ty smiled at him as though some weight had been lifted off of him. Kit tapped Ty gently on his temple. “Do you feel better?” Ty nodded in reply. They were silent for a moment, but Kit noticed the drastic change in tension.   
“Do you really not let anyone touch you?” Kit asked curiously. Ty shrugged.  
“I let Julian and Mark hug me and ruffle my hair. I let Emma give me high fives. I let Livvy put runes on me. I let you hold my hands, hug me, brush the hair out of my eyes, rub my arms. I’m normally uncomfortable with anything like that, because it’s intimate,” The word made Kit shiver. “But it’s alright when it’s you. I feel comfortable and save when I’m with you Kit. And that makes me feel happy, but it also confuses me. Am I supposed to feel like that about you and not Julian? Should I feel this when I hug Julian? There are entirely too many different emotions for too many different people.” Ty smiled, making light of the situation. It was at this moment, when Kit had forgotten every possible reason why he should be mad at Ty, that he had the sudden, surprising urge to kiss him. It pulsed through his entire body, and he had to force his eye’s up from Ty’s lips to look him in the eyes. Ty’s eyes were wide with something Kit wasn’t able to identify. There faces were inches apart from each other; Kit felt lost in his own strange desires, and Ty looked... scared? Apprehensive? Kit had no idea. He wanted to ask him to tell him what he was feeling, but there was so much running through Kit’s own mind. Kit had wanted to kiss Ty for a long, long time, but this was the first time Kit had actually been able to acknowledge that need.   
“Kit..” Ty begun. “I think I’m going to-“ Rustling sounded from the bushes a few metres from their nook. A twig snapped and both Kit and Ty shot to attention. Silence sounded all around them, and then Magnus appeared from the shrubbery. Kit breathed a sigh of relief and slumped back down into the hollow. Ty however, was stood up stiff, as if he didn’t quite trust Magnus.   
“Christopher, Tiberius. Staying out of trouble I hope.” Magnus said jovially. Ty didn’t move. Kit looked up at Ty worriedly. Magnus caught onto the look immediately and winked. Ty saw the wink. “What’s going on Magnus?” Ty demanded. Blue spark shot up from Magnus’ fingers. Kit stood up hurriedly, ready to throw himself in front of Ty.   
“I’m very sorry about this. Julian wanted to be safe.” He clicked his fingers and Kit was pushed back onto the ground by a strong current. He heard Ty hit the tree with a thud. Sparking blue chains appeared around Kit’s ankles and wrists. He looked up at Magnus alarmed.   
“What are you doing?” Kit cried. Magnus looked genuinely remorseful.   
“Think of it this way, Christopher. You can spend some quality time with that one.” He stuck his thumb towards Ty, who was seething with rage. Magnus walked away, leaving Kit and Ty trapped to the tree. Kit tried to crawl over to Ty, who was struggling against the manacles in futile. He accidentally brushed his hand over the chain at his ankle, and a bolt of electricity sparked through him, sending him onto his back.  
“Kit!” He heard Ty call his name out. Kit stuck his thumb in the air.   
“I’m alright.” He said. Ty grunted.  
“Yeah, well I’m not.” Ty replied. “I can’t believe Julian would let Magnus tie us up like this.”   
“Julian doesn’t want you hurt. He knows that if we hadn’t been restrained in some way, we would be down there in an instant.” Kit explained. Ty sagged against the tree.  
“We can look after ourselves in a fight, Kit. We’ve been in fights before and we handled ourselves fine.” Ty said.  
“You may have done, but I’ve had basically no training, and if an actual fight was to happen, I don’t think I’d last very long against adult shadowhunters and Unseelie faeries.” Kit said. Ty cocked his head to the side.  
“I can look after the both of us.” Ty didn’t sound defensive. He sounded almost sad, but Kit couldn’t figure out why.  
“But I wouldn’t want you to have to be in a situation where you have to keep me alive as well as yourself. We both know how well you fight, and I’m not even in gear and I only have the dagger Jace gave me. Even if we did escape, I’d be a dead man walking.” Kit spoke from the heart; he was a poor excuse for a shadowhunter.  
“No. I would protect you. I wouldn’t ever allow you to be hurt.” Ty’s voice was sharp and harsh, and it made Kit do a double take. Ty was looking at him so fiercely, like the idea of him not being to protect Kit was on par with someone murdering a puppy.   
“You won’t have the chance to protect me, because we are never getting out of these chains.” As soon as Kit said that, the sky was illuminated with a white light, like a thousand stars lit up the pale blue sky. A gasp escaped Ty’s mouth and Kit watched as Livvy’s ghost floated down from the heavens. She stopped short of them, and grimaced down at the chains.   
“Livvy.” Ty gasped. Livvy knelt down by the chains at Ty’s feet.   
“I came to get you out of these vapid binds.” Ghost Livvy replied. Kit tried to shuffle closer to get a better look at her face. She turned and examined him with uninterest. “I forgot you can see ghosts, Herondale.” Livvy’s tone was harsh, and real Livvy would have called him Kit.   
Livvy reached down and pressed her hand to the chains connecting Ty’s feet and wrists, and they vanished without a trace. She pressed her hands to Kit’s chains without taking her eyes off of Ty’s face. Kit didn’t exist to her in this moment. He stood up and brushed himself off.   
“Your family are on the imperishable fields. You need to go, fight on their side. They need you.” Livvy’s voice was soft. Ty’s eyes glistened with tears.  
“Thank you.” He whispered. Livvy smiled small and vanished. Not even a plume of smoke of a spark of white to let Kit know that she had been there at all. Ty stood up quickly.   
“You were saying?” He said, his voice gruff. Kit could see he was trying to recompose himself after seeing his dead sister for the second time in a space of twenty four hours. Kit couldn’t begin to imagine what it was like for Ty to see his dead sister and have to lose her all over again when she dematerialised. Kit walked over to Ty, who was facing over the hill, away from him. He gently rested his hand on Ty’s shoulder. He turned around and a strand of his dark hair curled over his forehead and over his eye. He made no attempt to move it, despite the fact that it must have been bothering him.  
“Look down there, Kit. They’re all fighting.” Ty moved out of the way and Kit peered across the field. Both parties were engaged in a battle that wasn’t supposed to happen. Kit could pick out Julian fighting back to back with Emma, Jace was brandishing his sword proudly, his golden hair a halo around his head. Kit couldn’t tell whether or not they were winning against the Clave, everything was a blur of black armour. Shadowhunters fighting shadowhunter fighting...  
“What’s that?” Kit pointed to the trees, that were rustling violently. A couple people down on the field had noticed and begun calling out alarmed, and retreating away. From behind the trees, at least a hundred grey and brown wolves appeared from the shadows of the trees. Behind that, four vampires stepped out, their clans behind them, staying in the cool shadows of the trees. Magnus stepped out from between the two species, his dark blue cape flowing elegantly behind him. He commanded the attention of the whole battlefield. He raised his hands, palm’s upwards, his fingers sparking electric blue. The entire sky became blanketed in darkness. He flicked his left wrist, and bright blue stars filled the sky, illuminating the field. As soon as he dropped his hands, the downworlder’s spilled out onto the field. The battle commenced tenfold. Kit whipped his head around to Ty.   
“Do you think they need our help?” Kit asked, hoping he wouldn’t have to go down there. “What if one of the vampires think we’re with the other side? I don’t fancy being ripped apart by someone’s teeth.”   
Ty looked at him sternly. “They know who they’re fighting for and against. And you’re not getting ripped apart. Look, we’ll climb the tree, it’s the best vantage point. We can find where the fighting is at it’s weakest.” Kit nodded and watched as Ty climbed gracefully up the oak tree, sitting himself in the highest branch. He looked down at Kit and beckoned him up with one hand. Kit cringed internally fully aware of the fact that he was going to make a fool of himself trying to climb up the tree. He grabbed the closest branch to his head and fit his foot in the small crevice of the tree. He hauled himself up ungracefully. He was aware that he needed to work out more.   
Eventually he made it to the same branch Ty was perched on. He plonked down next to Ty, who was surveying the field below.   
“Oh boy, this branch is going to do terrible things to my back.” Kit complained. Ty turned to look at him, his face giving absolutely nothing away.   
“what’re you thinking?” Kit asked.   
“I’m thinking that I know you’re afraid of going onto that battlefield. I know that I want to go down there and help out, I don’t want to feel helpless. But I don’t want to leave you here on your own.” Ty explained. Kit felt warmth settle in his chest.   
“Because I’m a helpless mess of a shadowhunter.” Kit laughed humorlessly.   
“That’s not what I meant, Kit.” Ty said. Kit touched Ty’s shoulder gently. “I know, Ty.” 

A harsh wind came over them, followed by the distant thundering of hooves. Kit grabbed Ty’s shoulders and pulled him closer to him and away from the edge of the tree branch.   
“What’s that?” Kit hissed. Ty pressed a finger to his lips and pointed up at the sky.  
The riders of Mannan.


	3. three

“Oh shit.” Kit couldn’t help the words that escaped his lips. The six riders paused above their heads. The woman at the front, Ethna, stopped her horse and peered down. Ty ducked his head, pushing Kit’s down with his hand. It didn’t help, as a second later, the riders were down on the ground, by the foot of the tree.   
“Christopher Herondale,” Ethna tutted. Kit lifted his head up. Ty went to lift his own, but Kit kept it down. The riders couldn’t see Ty yet through all of the leaves and twigs.  
“What do you want?” Kit asked, mustering up all of the courage he could find.   
“You are an interesting little boy, aren’t you? A Herondale, a Faerie. Special child.” Ethna laughed.   
“W-what? What are you talking about? Faerie.” Kit was lost for words. Ethna laughed again, and it made Kit want to climb down the tree and punch her, even though that wouldn’t end well on his part.   
“Oh, you don’t know? Your mother, an insipid little wrench, actually. So nice and caring,” She shivered. Kit felt his blood begin to boil. If it wasn’t for Ty’s arm wrapped through his, he would have been down there in a flash. “Naturally, we had to dispose of her. She was too much of a threat to power. But of course she left behind her little brat. Now you,” She pointed upwards and Kit felt himself go rigid. Ty looked up alarmed.   
“Let go Ty.” He said through gritted teeth. Ty shook his head. Kit yanked his arm away from Ty’s. Ethna pulled her hand backwards and Kit was flung forwards off of the branch. He let out a yelp of surprise and braced for an impact that never came. Ethna kept her hand firmly in the air. Leaving Kit suspended in the air. His limbs hung limply, and he seemed unable to move.   
“Now you. The king would love to have you by his side. I’d imagine he would end your life pretty quickly once he finds out who you are, but I’m sure it would be good while it lasted.” She winked, and the men behind her laughed.   
“Look, I don’t know who you think I am, but you’ve got the wrong person. So if you could just let me go, then-“ Kit was yanked roughly to the ground. He was sure he heard something snap in his leg. Stars danced in front of his eyes. One of the riders leaned over him, a snarl etched into his face. He grabbed Kit by the front of his collar and yanked him to his feet. Kit felt one of his ribs move painfully in him, which couldn’t have been good. The riders towered over him, their horses standing next to each of them, threateningly.  
“This is hardly a fair fight.” Kit choked out. He knew Ty was still in the tree, and he sent a silent prayer to whoever may be up there that he stay up there, out of harms way. The riders advanced on him, and Kit pulled out the dagger and put himself in a position he had seen Ty get into before a fight. The tallest, heaviest set rider advanced on him. Kit blanched backwards. Shit shit shit shit. Kit swiped his blade outwards before jumping back. It did nothing. The rider launched himself onto Kit, and they both fell backwards. Kit hit his head against the tree Ty was up.   
“Nghowww.” Kit moaned. Kit heard a sudden high pitched yelp and looked up to see Ethna stumbling backwards, clutching her eye. Ty leapt down from the tree, his slingshot in hand. He jerked around to look at Kit, and the large man who was slowly crushing the rest of his ribs. Ty pulled his slingshot back and fired a sharp rock at the back of the mans head. He grunted and twisted his head around to glare at Ty. Kit took the opportunity to kick out from underneath him and rolled out. The pain in his leg and his side was almost unbearable, but he had to get to Ty. Ty was facing of against Ethna and the other four riders, and despite how good of a fighter Ty is, he wouldn’t stand a chance against five of the greatest Unseelie warriors. And Ty was fighting valiantly, swift as lightning, dodging and blocking and giving almost as good as he’s getting. But it’s not enough. Kit was aware of the large rider standing up behind him, and he knew it was only a matter of time before they are overpowered.  
“What do you want!?” Kit cried. The riders paused to look at him. The one standing beside Ethna snarled viciously.   
“What the King commands.” He replied. Kit crawled up to his knees, spitting blood.   
“And what does your King want, huh?” Kit replied with a similar level of animosity that mad Ty’s eyes widen in surprise. “He wants me, does he? I don’t know why you’ve got some sort of delusion that I’m anyone important, but leave Ty alone and just... Just take me to Faerie or wherever and be done with it.” Ethna pouted and walked towards Kit. She lifted his chin up with two fingers.   
“But I don’t want to. I’m going to kill you myself, and then I’m going to wipe out the rest of the Blackthorn family.” She leant down to whisper in his ear. Kit felt as though he was about to throw up.  
“Or maybe I’ll make you watch as I slit the throat of your lover over there and you can watch him bleed out in front of you.” She hissed. Kit had to swallow hard to stop the rising bile in his throat. He caught Ty watching him, a fierce look in his eyes. Kit shook his head slightly. Ethna clicked her fingers and two of the riders surged forward to grab Ty by both arms. Ty growled and tried to struggle against them but their grips were iron and held fast. Kit lurched forward onto his feet.  
“No...” Ethna brandished a sword, long and curved. She stalked forward and pulled it back, ready to take Ty’s head clean off of his shoulders. The anger that had been slowly boiling within Kit suddenly erupted. He let out a low, guttural cry as white light cascaded out of his hands. He was thrown backwards by the sheer force of it. The light blinded him momentarily, and when his vision cleared, Ty was looking over him nonplussed.   
“What was that, Kit? You shot light out of your hands. You decimated all the riders. They’re just gone!” He seemed flabbergasted. Kit couldn’t move, he couldn’t breathe. It felt as though his entire life force had been drained out of him. He could feel his cracked ribs protruding against his skin, his leg was burning with a pain so intense he could pass out from that alone. Kit tried to choke out words, but to him, it sounded like nonsense.  
“Ty. Ty I-“ Kit tried to say. Ty grabbed him gently by the back of his neck and curled his other arm underneath Kit’s legs. Ty lifted Kit into his arms effortlessly. Kits arm dropped limply to his side, and his head lolled against Ty’s chest. Ty was running, holding Kit close to his chest.   
“Kit. Hey, Kit, I need you to keep your eyes open. Don’t go to sleep. Not yet.” Ty said in between puffs of breath. Kit reached up and took a fistful of Ty’s jacket in his fist, gripping it weakly. Ty slowed his running down to a fast walk.   
“I’m... dying.” Kit coughed out. Ty looked at him darkly .  
“Don’t be ridiculous, Christopher. Of course you aren’t dying. We just need to get you to a silent brother, or someone who can fix you.” Ty said. Kit pulled on Ty’s jacket.  
“Stele.” He said. Ty shook his head.  
“I don’t have my stele on me. I left it in our tent with my earphones. Don’t talk Kit, you’re just wasting energy you don’t have.” Ty said. Kit wasn’t sure where they were, but they hadn’t been moving for long. He could still hear echoes of the fight happening. The fight Ty had wanted to be a part of desperately.  
“Sorry. I-I’m sorry.” Kit breathed. Ty had stopped moving entirely, and was looking down at Kit with a pained expression. There was the muffled sound of people talking, and then Kit was being dragged out of Ty’s arms and onto a stretcher. Kit was clung so tightly to the front of Ty’s jacket that Ty was pulled down to Kit’s level. Ty reached out to steady himself, gently pressing his hand by the side of Kit’s head.   
“I love you.” Kit whispered, not caring that there were undoubtedly several people around them. Ty’s eyes began to shine with tears, and instead of replying, Ty leaned down slowly and pressed his lips to Kit’s. Kit felt as though he had just died and gone to heaven. Regardless of the fact that he was only half conscious and in unbearable pain, Kit removed his hand from Ty’s jacket and wrapped it around the back of Ty’s neck, pulling him closer. Kit heard the soft thump of Ty’s knees hitting the ground, and he felt Ty run his hand through Kit’s dirty, matted hair. Ty’s mouth was soft, and he felt like home. Kit clung to him as though he was the only thing keeping him above water, pulling him closer to him, their lips disconnecting and reconnecting messily, but Kit couldn’t give less of a shit. If he could, he’d be up, running around, telling every person he could find that ‘Ty Blackthorn just kissed him!’. Ty pulled away after how long, Kit didn’t know-it could have been years as far as Kit was concerned- and smiled down at Kit. It was one of those rare, proper Ty smiles that only Kit saw, and Kit knew that if he was to die today, he would die with that smile etched in his memory.   
“I’ll see you once the fight’s over.” Ty promised. Kit breathed out and stared at Ty, trying to remember every detail of his face. Just in case. Ty stood up and gave Kit a sad smile. Kit felt his eyelids get incredibly heavy, and he went to sleep with the ghost of Ty’s lips against his.


	4. four

Kit woke up to a bright white ceiling that looked a lot like the Mundane hospitals he had been to. His entire body felt stiff, as though he had been lying in the same position for years. He wanted to move but found that none of his muscles were reacting to his needs. He tried to lift his head up, but it felt like a tonne of bricks had replaced his skull, and he promptly fell back on the pillow. He wasn’t sure if he had gone deaf or if it was supposed to be that quiet. He wished he had some bell to ring, but his limbs still weren’t cooperating with him, and the most he could do was slur out some incoherent words that no one would be able to hear anyway. He lay in the bed and try and remember what had happened to land him in this position, but all he could think about was that really nice dream he had where Ty kissed him. At least, it had felt like a dream when it had happened, and being in this state, he couldn’t assume anything. He heard the sound of a door clicking open and closed, and padded footsteps walking over to his bed. He couldn’t turn his head to see the person, but he caught a flash of long brown hair.   
“Christopher?” A woman’s voice spoke softly. Kit grunted in reply. He felt the woman take his limp hand and squeeze it.   
“It’s Tessa. You’re in the infirmary at the LA institute. The battle was a victory on our part, but not without injuries.” Panic shot through Kit and he grimaced.   
“Oh! Are you alright?” Tessa asked, patting him gently.   
“N-no.” Kit said. The tips of his fingers and toes had begun to tingle with life. Tessa sat back in her seat with a sigh.   
“The drugs will be wearing off now. We had to use mundane medicine because your body was rejecting runes. Everyone is alright if that is what you are worried about. Emma and Julian went through quite the wringer, but they are no longer parabatai and don’t have to hide their feelings anymore.” Kit would have gasped if he could’ve. He wasn’t aware Emma and Julian had feelings for each other. But actually, looking back on it, it wasn’t particularly surprising. “Kieran, Mark, and Cristina are perfectly alright, sustaining only mere scratches. Drusilla and Octavian stayed well away from the fighting, as they were supposed to,” Tessa poked him in the side in jest, and Kit felt the corners of his mouth lift up. “And Tiberius is doing well. He hasn’t stopped worrying about you, however. He was sleeping outside the door for two days before Julian found him, and even then he put up such a fuss.” Kit heard the smile in Tessa’s voice. He had now gained all feeling back in his body, and he pushed himself into a sitting position on the bed. He turned to look at Tessa.   
“Where is he now?” Kit’s voice was quiet, his throat scratchy and dry.  
“I’d imagine he’s in his room asleep. It is only three in the morning. Do not worry. He doesn’t leave your side when he is awake. It’s quite wonderful, to see such young people feel so deeply for one another. I was going to give you a proposition to come and live with Jem and I after you’ve recovered of course, but I have a feeling I know what the answer will be.” Tessa said. Kit felt warm all over. Ty wouldn’t do that if he didn’t care. It was like when Kit had first arrived at the institution, and Ty had slept outside his door for a week. Kit touched his lips absent-mindedly.   
“Did I-were you there when he- I mean I don’t...” Kit stopped himself, flushing red. Tessa smiled warmly and put her hand over his.   
“What you did was quite incredible. I had never heard of anything like it, but it completely drained your energy, and almost your entire life force. It was quite a feat for a young boy to do, even when you had no idea what you were doing. But yes, when Ty ran out of the forest with you in his arms it was me and Jem who put you on the stretcher. And yes, we did see you and Ty share an intimate moment. We had the heart to look away, Drusilla however, did not.” Tessa gleamed. Kit gaped.  
“Dru saw- ah crap.” Kit hung his head, mortified.   
“It’s alright. She was very happy for her brother, for taking such a big leap. The rest of the family know as Drusilla couldn’t keep it to herself for more than a couple of hours. I... don’t know what Tiberius thinks of the whole situation, but I suppose you can ask him in the morning. Oh, he will be so happy to know you’re awake, Christopher.” Tessa beamed. Kit cleared his throat.  
“Just Kit, actually.” He said.  
“Kit, he was ever so upset, he hardly ate. When Julian and Emma woke up yesterday, he tried to talk to him but it wouldn’t work. And my, you gave us all a fright the first night, we were afraid you wouldn’t make it through the night. No iratze’s were working on your skin and Ty freaked out and spent hours and hours placing iratze after iratze. To be honest, you probably wouldn’t have unless Simon suggested using some mundane technology to get your sugar levels up.” Tessa raved on and on for a while afterward. Kit asked her what had happened to Julian and Emma, and what the proposition was that she was going to put forward.  
“Well, Jem and I wondered if you would move to London to live with us and be an older brother to our baby. As you know now, you are part faerie, and now that you can no longer suppress your powers, most of the Unseelie land will be looking for you. We could keep you save.” Tessa explained.   
“But why? Why do they want me?” Kit asked.  
“Your mother was a descendant to the first heir of Faerie, which means that, by blood, you are in line for the Unseelie King’s throne. That will make a lot of Faeries unhappy, as they wouldn’t want someone who is part shadowhunter as their King.”   
“But I don’t want to be King of Faerie. You told me Kieran was, and I would have to kill him and I don’t want to do that.” Kit protested.   
“You don’t really have a choice, I’m afraid. It’s faerie law. And you have powers beyond even my comprehension. You won’t be safe here.” Tessa’s face turned grave. Kit looked up at the ceiling, trying to comprehend everything she was telling him: He was half faerie. He was a descendant of the last heir, whatever that was supposed to be. He was in line to the throne of Faerie. He had uncontrollable powers that he had no idea how to control, and apparently, they show themselves when he’s angry. But he had been angry before, why hadn’t they exploded then? Why did it have to be in front of Ty? He murdered an entire clan. The riders of Mannan were extinct now, because of him. Albeit, they were terrible, horrible people who had some sort of wicked bloodlust against the Blackthorns.  
“Mark and Helen both have shadowhunter and faerie blood and they can still live here.” Kit said.   
“But Mark and Helen aren’t descendants of the late King of faerie. They don’t have a bounty on their head by their own people.” Tessa tried to reason with him.   
“Faeries aren’t my people. I only found out I was a shadowhunter a couple months ago, and now I’m not only a shadowhunter but also a faerie. Ohoh but no ‘Kit you’re not just any faerie, you’re related to the asshole, murdering dead King of Faerie’.” Kit felt himself losing his composure. That heat returned to the pit of his stomach. He was a dormant volcano. Tessa looked at him afraid, and the boiling heat dissipated to a cold feeling of sadness. He was out of control. He didn’t understand his powers at all, and Tessa was afraid of him.   
“Sorry. You should go. I-I’m tired and my...powers-I don’t want to accidentally hurt anyone.” Kit went to lay back down. Tessa took his hand again.   
“I’m not afraid of you, Kit. I know you’re scared. I know you’re confused. If you come back with me and Jem, we can help you learn more about yourself. We can help you take control of your powers,” Tessa stood up and smiled down at Kit.   
“Think about it. I don’t need an answer right away. Get some sleep, I’m sure Ty will be here when you wake up.” Tessa left the room swiftly, Kit barely heard the door shut behind her. He twisted his body to face the wall, hissing when a pang of sharp pain rang through his side. He clutched the pillow as if it were a person, and he fell back into a restless sleep.


	5. five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I genuinely cried writing this chapter because I've still got post qoaad depression and I love these boys more than life.

Kit woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed. He could hear the sound of footsteps outside his door, and the chattering voice of Dru followed by Tavvy. Warm light filtered through the windows, lighting up the room with a bright light. He squinted up at the ceiling, taking a moment to adjust to the brightness before he reluctantly pushed himself up into a sitting position. Groaning, he reached his arms out in front of him and clicked his wrists. He twisted his head to the side and yelped. Ty was sitting in the small plastic chair by the bed, looking as though he had only just woken up. His hair was ruffled and unruly, his eyes watching Kit with concern. Kit wasn’t expecting to see him there, and in surprise he threw himself backwards, tipping himself off of the bed. His back hit the cold wooden floor, the pain reverberating up his spine and through his arms.   
“Kit!” Ty exclaimed, and Kit watched in defeat as Ty appeared above him. Kit hit his head on the floor and lay there, half on-half off the bed, grimacing.   
“Good morning Ty.” Kit said. Ty grabbed both of Kit’s hands and easily hauled his upper body off the floor. Kit pushed his legs off of the bed so that he was standing. Kit looked up at Ty; Had Ty always been taller than him? How long had he been out? A burst of dizziness shot through his head and he stumbled back a little. Ty grabbed his shoulders gently and pulled him back onto the bed gently.   
“Be careful, you’re still out of it,” Ty said. Kit rubbed his head wincing. Ty sat on the edge of the bed and watched Kit wordlessly. Kit looked up and Ty looked away, the start of a blush creeping up his cheeks.   
“Give me your arm,” Ty said suddenly. Kit raised an eyebrow inquiringly.   
“I’m going to try and give you another iratze. It’s been long enough, all the faerie magic must have died down enough for you to be able to bare runes again.” Ty pulled out his iratze and took Kits outstretched arm. Kit watched Ty fascinated as he applied the rune. He was much paler than he usually is, and Kit wasn’t sure if he was ill, or if he just hadn’t left the institute in days. Ty watched Kit’s arm with fierce intensity, and once he was satisfied that the iratze wasn’t going to disappear, he sat back and looked at Kit, his gaze never quite reaching Kit’s own eyes.   
“How are you feeling?” Ty asked, picking at the cotton blanket.   
“A bit groggy, like I’ve just woken up from a coma. And I stink.” Kit scrunched his nose up. Ty smiled slightly.  
“Well, you kind of have just woken up from a coma. You were out for eight days. On the second day, your heart stopped beating and...” Ty stopped himself, swallowing hard and very obviously looking anywhere but Kit. He had picked a small hole into the blanket. Kit wanted to reach out and grab his hand, but he wasn’t entirely sure where they stood, in terms of their relationship. “And we had to bring in the silent brothers to try and restart your heart. It was awful, Kit. Tessa told me you have faerie blood in you, and that the silent brothers may not be able to revive you because the energy you produced was pure faerie, and, and.” Ty looked Kit directly in the eyes. It through Kit completely off-kilter. Ty threw himself over to Kit and started hitting him. The punches started off moderately hard, and Kit froze, unsure what to do. After a couple of seconds, broken sobs started wrack through Ty’s body, and the punches became weak. Kit wrapped his arms around Ty’s vibrating body, utterly terrified. Ty stopped punching, instead gripping the front of Kit’s t-shirt, curling it tightly in his fists. Ty dropped his head onto Kit’s collarbone, and Kit rested his chin on the top of Ty’s head, rubbing circles into Ty’s back.  
“You...You,” Ty choked out in-between hiccupping sobs. “You almost left me... You can’t...Leave me. I-I thought you were dead.” That one word sent shivers through Kit, and he held onto Ty as though his life depended on it.   
“I’m sorry Ty, I’m so so sorry.” Kit didn’t know what else to say. Kit heard the soft click of the door and he tensed when Julian walked in. Ty was still crying, and he wasn’t aware that his brother was standing in the doorway. Julian looked at Ty alarmed, but his eyes softened when he saw Kit’s face. Julian shot Kit a sympathetic smile and walked out, closing the door quietly behind him.   
“You don’t unders-s-stand. I can’t live in a world where you and Livvy aren’t here. I can cope with Livvy, I had you. But there’s nothing if you aren’t here either.” His iron grip on kit’s shirt loosened and Ty’s hand slid around Kit’s back, pulling him impossibly closer.   
“I’ll never leave you, Ty. I’m not going anywhere.” Kit pressed a kiss to the top of Ty’s head. He had no idea what Kit was to Ty, but now was not the time to ask. He’s give it a day or so before he pounces on Ty with the ‘what are we?’ question. He had been through enough. Kit rocked Ty against his chest until his sobs were just gentle sighs and sniffs. When Ty looked up, his eyes were bloodshot and puffy. Tears shined like diamonds across Ty’s eyelashes, and his cheeks were streaked with wet. Kit still though Ty was the most incredible thing he had ever seen, and Kit gently brushed the tears from Ty’s cheeks with his thumb.  
“Do you promise?” Ty sounded ten years younger, and the weight of his words felt like bricks stacked on top of Kit’s ribs.   
“Yes. Yes, I promise.” It was a dangerous thing to promise Ty when he knew life for shadowhunters was short and dangerous. Even more so for Kit, who was apparently being hunted by the entirety of the Unseelie kingdom. But Kit knew that, for as long as he would be alive for, he would never leave Ty’s side.


	6. six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> very talky chapter, sorry. Kit doesn't want julian to beat him up. Alec and Magnus have some NEEEEEWSSSS.  
> also thank you all so much for the lovely comments I have been receiving, they honestly make me so darn happy, and what writer doesn't like having their writing affirmed by people?? but yeah thank you so much it warms my cold cold heart

Kit and Ty stay clung to each other for a long while afterwards. Kit didn’t want to let go of Ty first, afraid that he may break apart like a china doll. Kit knew Ty was stronger than Kit gave him credit for, but he couldn’t help but worry. Kit didn’t think Ty was the kind of guy who was into PDA, but even when the entirety of the Blackthorn family came hurtling into the infirmary, Ty never let go. From the corner of his eye, Kit could see Julian and Mark stopping Dru, Tavvy and Helen from bombarding him and Ty. Kit nudged Ty’s head with his own, and Ty looked up at him questioningly. Kit smiled down at Ty, now that he could see that the redness from around his eyes had begun to disappear. Kit ducked his head a little, entirely too aware of everyone watching them like hawks, and whispered to Ty.  
“Your family are here... for some reason.” Kit wasn’t actually sure why they were all in the infirmary, as they definitely hadn’t come to check on him. Ty’s head shot up, but he didn’t jerk away from Kit like he thought he would. Kit felt Ty’s heart rate start to pound, beating so aggressively Kit could feel it against his own chest. Kit began to draw tiny circles on Ty’s back with his index finger so that it wasn’t noticeable to anyone except for them two. Kit liked to think that this could be their thing, like Emma and Julian wrote messages on each other's arms; something special and private to them.   
“Hello,” Ty said. Helen burst out from Mark’s outstretched arms and dropped to her knees by the bed, looking wildly into Kit’s face.  
“Are you alright Kit? Are you in any pain?” She asked. Kit froze, unsure how to act at this sudden display of concern from a woman he barely knew.   
“Um... I’m alright, thanks.” He replied. Helen smiled and patted him on the arm.   
“You gave all of us a proper scare.” She said. Kit smiled awkwardly.  
“So I’ve been told.” Helen’s mouth twitched and she stood up, ruffling Ty’s hair as she goes back to stand by Mark. Julian stepped forward, his hand on Tavvy’s shoulder.  
“We just came to see how you were doing Kit. And to see where Ty was.” Kit sighed internally. Obviously, there was some ulterior motive to them being here other than seeing how Kit was. Kit shrugged.  
“Just a bit sore, that’s all.” Kit said. Julian nodded once, and ran a hand through his hair, looking slightly uncomfortable.   
“We need you both to come downstairs. Magnus and Alec are down there and they have neeeeews!” Dru said excitably, accentuating the ‘news’ for emphasis. Ty nodded firmly, and disentangled himself from Kit, running both of his hands over his face and through his hair. Kit was immediately aware of the cold against his body where Ty was just moments ago and wanted to pull him tight against him again. Mark ushered Tavvy and Dru out of the room with the promise of sugar, giving Kit a meek wave. Helen followed out after them, leaving Julian. He was stood rigid, as though he had walked in on something he wasn’t sure he should have, which he must think he has done. Kit wants to assure him that he was not fornicating with his little brother, but Kit refrained, as he couldn’t seem to find his tongue in his mouth. Ty was looking at the floor, his face flushed a rosy pink.   
“Ty, do you want to go down to the kitchen with everyone?” Julian asked. Ty looked up like he was about to protest, but instead nodded and slipped off of the bed. He turned around in the doorway to look once at Kit. Kit gave him a little wave and watched as Ty rounded the corner and away down the corridor. Julian stay where he was for a moment, before deciding to sit on the plastic chair by Kit’s bed. Kit started to fiddle with the bed covers, bracing for the worst. Julian was scary at the best of times, and without Emma here, Kit feared for his life.   
Julian didn’t talk for a while. Whether he was unsure what to say or just trying to choose the best way to say ‘I want you out of this institute before the end of the day, and you’re never allowed to see Ty again’.   
“So... What is this?” Julian finally said.   
“What is what?” Kit asked, feigning dumb.  
“You know. You and Ty. That.” Julian had never looked more uncomfortable. It was like Kit’s dad teaching him the birds and the bees all over again.   
“I...Don’t know,” Kit said honestly. Julian nodded.  
“Do you care about him?” Julian asked. It was a stupid question. Kit cared about a lot of people. It was a vague question and Kit wanted to tell him as much.  
“Of course I do.” He said it as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Julian nodded, gnawing at his bottom lip.  
“Do you love him?” He asked. Kit knew the answer to that, he just wasn’t sure if he wanted to give it to Julian, who was older and stronger than him.  
“I...Yes.” Kit said. Julian nodded again, softer this time, more understanding. Julian really had been through shit, Kit knew that. Loving Emma all these years, knowing they couldn’t be together. Kit prayed that Julian would understand how Kit was feeling. But Ty was Julian’s baby brother. And if whatever this thing was with Ty ever went awry, Kit didn’t want to be on the receiving end of angry Julian. Kit knew he would never hurt Ty, but Julian didn’t.  
“Are you in love with Ty?” Julian asked, his voice soft. Kit stopped in his tracks. Was he in love with Ty? What did it mean to be in love with someone?   
Before he could answer, there was a knock at the door, and Emma walked in. She was dressed in casual jeans and a strappy white top. She could’ve been a normal girl, if not for the shadowhunter runes and muscles. Once upon a time, Kit would have been immensely attracted to a girl like Emma, but not so much anymore. Emma rested her hands on Julian’s shoulders, and Kit could visibly see the tension release from his shoulders.  
“I hope you aren’t interrogating the poor boy,” Emma said, smiling down on Kit. Julian smiled, his eyes crinkling at the sides.   
“We were just talking.” He said innocently. Emma rolled her eyes.   
“You think you’re well enough to get out of bed?” Emma asked Kit. Kit nodded, and Emma gave him two thumbs up.  
“Great. Go get dressed and come downstairs. Come, Julian.” She pulled him up and they both walked out of the infirmary. Kit sighed, and pulled himself out of the bed, wobbling slightly. He wobbled a little haphazardly out of the infirmary and to his and Ty’s bedroom. He was pleased to find that none of his belongings had been moved. He made a beeline to the closet and pulled out a pair of black jeans, a plain blue t-shirt, and a denim jacket for good measure. He pulled them on and examined himself in the mirror. He looked a little worse for wear; skinny, with hollowed cheeks. He lifted his shirt and could see his ribs popping out beneath his skin. He winced and pulled the shirt down further than it could go, wrapping the jacket around his frail body. He couldn’t find any shoes, so he traipsed down the corridor barefooted. He could hear the soft chatter of everyone as he rounded the corner into the kitchen. Alec, Magnus, Jace and Clary were all sitting at the kitchen table, chattering to Mark and Helen. Aline was kneading her palms into Helen's shoulders. Julian was cooking at the stove, holding a wooden spoon in one hand and a small tablespoon in the other. Tavvy was sitting on Dru’s lap; Dru was reading him a story on the sofa. Emma and Cristina were talking under their breaths on the sofa adjacent to Tavvy and Dru. Nobody looked up when he came into the room, as his feet made no noise on the tiled floor. He walked over to Dru and Tavvy. Dru looked up, a huge grin plastered on her face.  
“Hiya.” She said. Tavvy waved up at him. Kit waved back at Tavvy, a somewhat fake grin on his face.   
“Hi. What’s this gathering in aid of?” Kit asked, trying not to make it obvious that he was searching for Ty out the corners of his eyes.  
“Alec and Magnus have news.” She said jovially. Kit nodded, looking up into the library. Dru sighed.   
“Calm yourself, Ty’ll be back in a minute.” She said. Kit slumped onto the sofa next to Dru.   
“Where’d he go?” Kit asked, trying not to appear to antsy about Ty’s absent. Dru shrugged.  
“Ty doesn’t talk to me much, you know that. We had our fun, but I’m still no Livvy or no Kit.” She smiled at him. Kit felt his heart sink. He really felt for Dru. All she wanted was to be a bigger part of Ty’s life. Kit nudged her shoulder playfully.  
“Well, we definitely had fun. You’re my friend, Dru, know that.” Kit said. Dru looked as though she may cry. She rested her head on Kit’s shoulder.   
Magnus clapped his hands suddenly, gaining the attention of the entire room. Kit looked up and noticed Ty standing in the doorway of the kitchen, headphones on, hands in his pockets.   
“We have some news,” Magnus announced. Alec walked to Magnus’ side looking a little nervous.   
“We’re getting married. In an hour.”


	7. seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I went slightly overboard with this one. It's a longun.  
> Ty's a top ;)

The institute burst out into raucous noise. People took it in turns to hug and congratulate Alec and Magnus. Clary and Jace looked particularly excited. Kit watched as Clary threw herself onto Alec, a smile the size of Jupiter split across her face. Jace thumped Magnus on the back rather aggressively, pulling him into a one-armed hug. It was a wonderful scene to behold, and Kit watched on from the sofa, not wanting to get in the way of the celebration. Kit saw Ty move over to Alec and Magnus once the crowd had dissipated. Ty was almost the same height as Alec, despite the fact that Alec was a grown man, and Ty was only fifteen. Kit wondered when his growth spurt would come; Jace was a man of height and strength, and he seeped intimidation out of his pores. Apart from their golden hair, Kit and Jace were polar opposites.  
“We now only have...” Magnus flipped his bare wrist over and pretended to check a watch. “53 minutes until the wedding. You are all invited, naturally, so get dressed and get down to the beach.” Magnus cocked his head and smiled. Alec linked his arm through Jace’s, and Jace took Clary’s hand. The four of them walked out of the kitchen. Julian immediately started shifting people to their rooms.  
“Everyone! Get on your best clothes. Tavvy, Mark will help you pick out a nice black suit. Dru put a dress on. Nothing with skulls.” Everyone complied, leaving the kitchen. Julian approached Kit, who had gone to make for Ty’s bedroom. Kit craned his head up to look at Julian.  
“Do you have any suits?” Julian asked. Kit shrugged.  
“I’m not sure. I have my white one from... But I don’t know if I have any black ones.” Kit replied. Julian nodded.  
“Well, you can’t come to a wedding looking like that.” Julian gestured to Kit’s appearance, wincing slightly when he saw Kit’s bare feet.  
“I can look.” Kit said.  
“If you can’t find anything, you can borrow one of Ty’s. I know he’s a little taller than you, but Cristina can tailor the arms and legs.” Kit smiled a little at the gesture and left the room feeling lighter than when he’d come in.  
Ty was sitting on Kit’s bed when Kit walked in. He had his headphones on.  
And he was shirtless.  
Kit could have collapsed on the spot. A china-doll boy with clothes on, a toned, muscular man underneath. Kit could see the white scars where runes used to be, the inky black ones still there. A singular, raised, jagged line shot out from the corner of his V line to diagonally across to his abdomen. It was bright red, as though it had only recently been healed. Kit couldn’t recall where he might have got it from. It was surprising to Kit how much he couldn’t breathe or move. Ty looked up and Kit jumped, stumbling into the door, slamming it closed. He let out a breathy laugh that got stuck in his throat halfway. He was all too aware of Ty’s muscles flexing beneath his skin as he stood up. He had clearly just had a shower, as his black hair looked even darker, and a single curl of hair was slowly dripping onto his collarbone and down his chest. Kit wanted to throw up. All of his senses appeared heightened, and he could practically hear the water as it hit his skin. Ty removed his headphones and placed them on Kit’s bed. As much as Kit didn’t want to see, he noticed that Ty’s trousers weren’t buttoned up yet, and they slid slightly down his hips. Kit tried to take a breathe, but he ended up choking. Ty didn’t seem to notice Kit’s odd behaviour, and he walked over to him, slightly concerned.  
“Are you okay?” Ty asked. Kit nodded, going a little pink.  
“Mhmm. Just... Looking for a suit.” Kit said. Ty stepped away and walked to his bed, picking up his button up shirt and folding his arms into it. Kit felt his heart start beating again, and he relaxed his shoulders slightly. He pushed himself away from the door and to his closet, shaking his arms. Pulling open the closet, he found a single black two-piece suit right at the very back. It wasn’t his, and the shoulders of the jacket were slightly moth bitten, indicating it’s age. He pulled it out and lay it on his bed, next to Ty’s headphones. He turned his back to Ty, and pulled his t-shirt over his head, and shucking off his jeans. He froze when he felt a brush of cold air past his back. Ty appeared opposite his bed, picking up his headphones. Ty’s hand reached out to grab his headphones as Kit leaned over to grab his shirt, his hand knocking into Ty’s. Kit pulled back immediately, his face burning. Ty looked at Kit; not his face and Kit watched, his entire body on fire, as Ty’s eyes dragged up from his boxer shorts to his neck. It was almost as if Ty had no control over what he was doing. Ty grabbed his earphones and almost sprinted back over to his bed. Kit finished dressing in mortifying silence.  
He was tying up his shoes when there was a knock at the door. Mark opened the door. He was already dressed in a crisp three-piece suit. A small golden flower brooch was pinned above his breast pocket, glowing dimly in the light.  
“We are leaving in ten minutes. Are you both ready?” Mark eyed both the boys, who were standing as far as physically possible from each other and burning vermillion.  
“Yes, we’ll be down in a minute,” Ty replied quickly, not looking at anything particular. Mark hummed in response and left the room, leaving the door ajar. Kit finished his laces and stood up, looking over at Ty. He looked as handsome as ever, the dark black suit making his grey eyes brighter. The tiny brown mole on his jawline looked more noticeable as well, and Kit focused on that as he spoke.  
“Ty, I think we should talk about, um, the kiss.” His heart hammered in his chest as he finally acknowledged the kiss. Ty gave an audible intake of breath.  
“It was a kiss,” Ty stated, not taking his eyes off of the wall.  
“Well, did it... mean anything to you? Or was it just because you thought I was going to die?” Kit’s voice began to shake, but he didn’t try to recompose himself. He wanted Ty to know exactly how he was feeling. Ty’s head shot to look at Kit in the face, not quite meeting his eyes, but close enough.  
“I didn’t do it because you were dying. I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t...Want to.” Ty sat down on the edge of his bed and ran his hands through his damp hair. Kit sat down next to him.  
“I don’t know how to explain this,” Ty said.  
“It’s alright.” Kit replied. Ty waved his hands around in front of his face, before motioning to Kit’s own hands.  
“Can I?” He asked. Kit nodded and held out his hands. Ty took them and began to play with Kit’s fingers, tracing the lines and pulling gently on each finger.  
“I guess I wanted to kiss you... before you got hurt. But when you did, I was afraid that you could have died. So yeah, I suppose I did kiss you because that could have been the last time I ever saw you. But also because I wanted to. I didn’t know if that was something you wanted to do...” Ty trailed off.  
“So you thought that if I died, it wouldn’t have mattered if I hadn’t wanted you to, because I would have been dead.” Kit laughed a little, and the flicker of a smile appeared on Ty’s face.  
“I guess so, yeah.” Ty looked at Kit.  
“Did you want me to?” Ty asked, his eyes wide like a puppy dog. Kit removed one of his hands from Ty’s and used it to stroke Ty’s jaw. He rubbed his thumb over the tiny brown mole and cupped the rest of his chin in his hand. He leaned in slowly and brushed his lips against Ty’s. They had barely touched, but Kit felt electricity pulse through his veins like he had just stuck a fork in a microwave. He waited for a nanosecond to see if Ty blanched back, but when he didn’t, Kit pressed his lips firmly to Ty’s. He tasted like toothpaste and sweetness, and it consumed Kit wholly. Ty leaned into Kit, solidifying the kiss. Kit pushed against Ty’s body, and Ty pushed back, slightly too hard, causing Kit to fall back onto the bed. He grabbed Ty’s collar, and Ty gently pressed himself on top of Kit, never breaking the kiss. Kit gasped as he felt Ty grab Kits bare skin underneath his shirt. Ty pulled back worried, his lips swollen and red.  
“Did I hurt you?” He asked, starting to pull away. Kit was breathless, so he just pulled Ty’s lips back to his, wrapping one arm around Ty’s waist, the other curling into his hair. Ty’s hand ran slowly up Kit’s side, and Kit sighed heavily against Ty’s open mouth. This was heaven. This was a thousand dreams come true. Kit could die this very second (although he really didn’t want to) and be perfectly content with himself. He may not have been the greatest shadowhunter or even a sub-par shadowhunter, but at least he got to make out with Tiberius Blackthorn. He was so lost in the feeling of Ty’s body on his, of his hot hands on his bare skin, and his soft lips atop his, that he didn’t hear the door open.  
Julian apparently didn’t deem knocking necessary and paraded right into the room. Ty removed his hand from under Kit’s shirt straight away, Kit yanked his hand out Ty’s hair so suddenly he must have ripped some hairs out. Ty virtually threw himself off of the bed. Julian was stood in the doorway, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish.  
“I-Um...fuck.” Julian stammered. Kit unconsciously pressed his fingers to his lips. Ty had pressed himself into the corner of the room. Julian scrubbed at his eyes as if he was trying to erase the image of his baby brother straddling Kit.  
“I... Just. Downstairs. Leaving.” He held up two fingers to signify two minutes and promptly left the room, the door slamming behind him. There was a brief pause of silence before a muffled scream sounded from outside. Ty and Kit both looked at each other for a moment, before bursting out into fits of laughter.


	8. eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've had writer's block all day but I really wanted to write, so I'm sorry this is kinda shitty. Also, I skipped most of the Malec wedding bits because I'm an impatient writer sorry about that too.

The beach had been decorated to the highest extremes, and Kit wasn’t sure how they had managed to build the marble-esque archways in under an hour, but then again, he should know by now not to question Shadowhunters. The beach was incredible though, Kit couldn’t deny it; black ribbons hung from grey and white polls stuck opposite each other along the walkway. A large archway stood at the end of the walkway Magnus and Alec would walk down. Balloons were suspended from every possible place, in varying shades of black, with sparkling gold glitter. There were so many people everywhere, sitting down in the plastic chairs and mingling in small groups by the tables stacked high with food. Downworlders and shadowhunters alike, talking in harmony. Kit spotted the Blackthorns and Emma and Cristina stood together, all dressed in sparkling blacks and golds. Magnus was talking to Jace and Clary, his suit a luminescent gold, the sparkling so bright Kit couldn’t look directly at it. Alec was nowhere in sight, obviously hiding from Magnus. It was bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.   
Kit snorted at himself, and Ty looked at him. All the colour had returned to his face tenfold, and he looked the happiest Kit had ever seen him. Kit couldn’t help but smile back at him. Ty hadn’t done anything to his hair, save for running his hands through it a couple times, and a few of his pig-tail curls kept flopping over his eyes wonderfully.   
“Should we go over to my family?” Ty asked. Kit looked back over to the Blackthorns, who were talking jauntily to one another. Julian looked up and before Kit could look away, their eyes locked together. Julian’s eyes burned, his blue eyes practically red with the fires of hell, and Kit looked away, only slightly afraid.   
“I think Julian might kill me.” Kit said warily.   
“He won’t kill you. But I think we shouldn’t stand so close together.” Ty suggested. Kit chuckled.  
“Yeah, no public displays of affection, you got it. I’ll sit next Dru shall I?” Kit said. Ty nodded, looking a little disappointed.   
“I can sit next to you if you want me to. I’m just worried about your brother. He did, you know, walk in on us.” Kit flushed bright red. Ty reached his hand up and picked at a small hole in Kit’s jacket sleeve.   
“He isn’t going to do anything, he’s not the kind of person to beat up a minor. I’ll talk to him.” Ty smiled, and they walked down to the bottom of the beach. Kit watched Ty go to stand by Mark, and instead of joining them, Kit hung around in-between one of the sandwich tables, and a cluster of variously coloured warlocks, looking in on awkwardly. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to see Jem Carstairs. He was wearing something right out of the 1800s, which was appropriate, Kit supposed. He smiled down on Kit.   
“Hello, Christopher. Shouldn’t you be among the Blackthorns?” He asked. Kit shrugged.  
“Figured I’d give them some family time.” Kit said.  
“Did Tessa give you our offer?” Jem said. Kit thought back to when Tessa had offered him the chance to move to Devon to live with her, Jem and their unborn baby. Kit reckoned he would have taken the offer. A year ago it would have sounded ideal to go and live in England with two wonderful and kind people. He loved the idea of having a baby brother or sister to look after. But now, he didn’t think he would physically be able to disentangle himself from the Blackthorns. They were his family now, and even if they didn’t quite see him as part of their family yet, he couldn’t imagine a life where he wasn’t living in the institute. And Ty. A deep pain settled in the pit of his stomach at the thought of living so far away from him. He was so fiercely protective of Ty, he wouldn’t be able to bear not being able to make sure he was safe.   
“Yeah, but I...” Jem put a hand up to stop him, a warm smile on his face.   
“You needn’t worry about apologising. Tessa told me you would probably turn us down. As much as we both wanted you to come with us, we understand that you have a life here you do not wish to leave behind. We do hope you will visit us when the baby is born. It would be good for him to have someone to look up to.”   
“Him?”   
Jem’s grin widened. “Or her.” Kit wanted to apologise to Jem for letting his kid down, but he nodded instead, looking away, out at the ocean. Jem put a hand on Kit’s shoulder.  
“Do not be sorry. You have a prior engagement here. You have a lot of people here who can protect you better than Tessa and I. But know that you are a Herondale, and I like to think it my duty to look out for the Herondales.” Jem smiled to himself, as though he was partaking in an inside joke with himself.   
“I will see you after the wedding,” Jem said and left Kit standing alone.

Everyone had begun to sit down on the little plastic chairs. There was no divide; downworlders and shadowhunters sat next to each other, rather than separated on either side. Kit went to find Ty, who had his hand firmly on the seat next to him. He lifted it when he saw Kit, and Kit sat down, Dru bouncing her knees next to him.   
“What were you talking to Jem about?” Ty asked.   
“Jem and Tessa wanted me to go and live with them in Devon.” Kit stated. Ty’s mouth opened a little.   
“I said no, don’t worry.” Kit said hastily. Ty relaxed his shoulders.  
“Good. Why did they want you to live with them?”   
“They wanted to keep me under their protection, seeing as in I’m wanted in faerie because I’m a descendant of the first heir. Apparently, I’m supposed to be King of faerie one day.” Kit said, his lip curling up in disgust.  
“You don’t want to be the Kind of the Unseelie lands though,” Ty stated.  
“Of course I don’t. I don’t even want to be a faerie!” Kit exclaimed. He felt something kick the back of his chair, and a faerie girl hissed at him.   
“No offence.”   
“That’s understandable. It’s a lot to take in in such a short space of time. But once everything is back to normal, we can help you get control of your powers so that you can defend yourself.”   
“Yeah. Right.” Kit said, not entirely convinced he was ever going to be able to get a grasp of whatever magic he had stored in him.   
Just then everyone silenced. Kit craned his neck around to see Alec being walked down the aisle, his arm linked with Jace’s. He looked rather dashing, Kit admitted, dressed head to toe in gold a much more modest colour to Magnus’ bold statement. Magnus was watching Alec as though he held the entire world in the palm of his hands. Jia Penhallow stood on the raised platform, acting as the minister. Alec stepped onto the platform, giving a grateful smile to Jace, who went to stand by Clary. Alec took Magnus’ hands in his own.   
“We are gathered here today, shadowhunter and downworlder’s alike, to celebrate the union of Magnus Bane and Alexander Gideon Lightwood.” Jia began.  
“Two men who managed to find love in a dark time, and walked out into the light holding hands. Alexander Gideon Lightwood, hast thou found the one thy soul loves?”   
Kit watched in awe as Alec and Magnus looked at each other like there was nothing else in the world. Kit longed for someone to look at him that way.   
“I have found him,” Alec said. “And I will not let him go.”   
Kit reached out, almost without thinking, and entwined his fingers through Ty’s. He felt Ty’s gaze on the side of his face and scrunched his nose up trying not to smile. 

The rest of the wedding went by in a blur. Magnus and Alec exchanged golden broaches with the wedding rune carved into it. Kit kept hold of Ty’s hand throughout the entire service, not letting go until everyone started to get up. Magnus and Alec were wrapped in a tight embrace, still on top of the platform. Everyone else had gone to eat and mingle. Ty stood up, looking over at the ocean. He pulled Kit up by the sleeve and pointed out towards the sea.  
“Livvy.”


	9. nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> first and foremost, thank you all so much for the support, I love every comment I've received.   
> Secondly, this chapter took a very different direction than what I was intending. So quick *Trigger Warning* for mentions of anxiety, talk of depression, very, very slight mentions of self-harm.  
> I'm sorry if this might be a bit ooc, but I wanted to play around with the idea of Kit struggling with some mental health issues. also some survivors guilt. SO, not the happiest chapter ever, but I promise the next one will be fluffy and disgustingly adorable, because I'm desperate to write some proper adorable Kitty

Livvy was standing by the edge of the water, small waves lapping around her ankles. Her white dress was blowing gently around her legs in the sea breeze. Kit stared. She looked sort of angelic in the way her aura glowed white around her, but Kit supposed that was just her ghostly appearance.  
“What is she doing here?” Kit asked. Ty shrugged and started towards the water, pulling Kit along behind him. Kit could feel sand start to get into his very fancy shoes with every step, and it was becoming progressively more annoying. Once they reached the water, Livvy turned around and smiled at Ty. Kit kicked his shoes off and pulled his socks off, shaking the sand out, doing everything he could think of so he didn’t have to look at Livvy.  
“What are you doing here?” Ty asked. “Not that I’m not happy to see you of course.” He quickly added. Livvy laughed, and it sounded like a harp being plucked, melodic.   
“When you tried to bring me back, you didn’t manage to complete the spell properly, so I’m not here properly, like you wanted. I can come and go from the realms as I please, I think. I’m not too sure on the semantics of the whole ghost thing. Hello Kit.” She said, as though acknowledging me for the first time. I wave a little awkwardly.   
“Okay. What is it like? The other place?” Ty asked. Livvy smiled and reached out as if to touch his shoulder, dropping it again when she realised her hand would go straight through him.   
“I shouldn’t tell you. Best to keep some things secret.” She winks at me and I start, not sure how to react to that. Ty looks from me and Livvy, his brow furrowed. Kit walked into the shallow water, kicking up water as he wades in deeper, folding his trousers up against his legs so they didn’t get wet.   
“What are you doing?” Ty called out from behind him. Kit turned around to face them both. Ty looked speculative, whereas Livvy’s face was a blank canvas. It chilled him to his very core to see her standing there as if she had never left. As if she hadn’t been murdered a week prior. As if her blood hasn’t stained the floor of the hall permanently.   
“I’m going for a swim.” Kit said simply, removing his jacket and flinging it at Ty, who caught it in one hand.   
“Really?” Livvy asked, cocking an eyebrow. “You’re just going to strip and go for a dip in the freezing ocean. There’s a wedding reception happening just over there.” She pointed to where everyone was eating and chatting and smiling. Kit shrugged and unbuttoned the top button on his shirt.   
“Kit, you’re going insane,” Ty said. Kit threw his hands in the air, perfectly aware of how unusual he was acting. Kit himself wasn’t sure whether it was an act or a way of coping with Livvy semi-transparent form standing next to Ty. He still felt high off of the kiss he and Ty shared, and he wanted to scream it to the world. So submerging himself in cold water seemed like the next best thing.   
“Maybe so, Tiberius,” he pointed at Ty, a goofy grin planted on his face. “But I’m sure it’s an alluring attribute.” And with that, Kit flung himself back into the water. The force caused his entire body to become submerged in the salty water. Kit vaguely heard the sound of his name, but under the water, there was nothing but the cold and the still. Livvy wasn’t here with him under the water. Nor his faerie genes, or his mysterious powers, or the bounty over his head, or Ty. He was entirely alone, just like he had always been. He closed his eyes, ignoring the burning sensation that had started to rise up in his lungs. Even with Ty, even with the knowledge that Ty reciprocated some of his feelings, Kit couldn’t get rid of the horrid feeling that he was alone. That no one cared, that he would amount to nothing. He dragged it around like a ball and chain, the niggling voice in the back of his head that told him that Ty was just trying to appease him, that Kit could never amount to what he and Livvy had shared, that the Blackthorns merely tolerated his hanging around the institute. Kit had just started getting rid of the voice before Livvy had died. After that, it returned tenfold, pinning the blame on him, and telling him day in and day out that he had done something wrong that had led to all these horrible events occurring. Kit knew he was the source of his own sadness, but that sad, intrusive part of the brain seemed to override the part of his brain that knew it was a load of shit. He wanted to drown in this sea; the dark part of his brain screamed, ‘yes, yes, what a good idea, do it, no one will miss you. After all, you are the source of all their sadness’. The logical part of his brain that was becoming progressively quieter was whispering to him, ‘Don’t be ridiculous, you’re part of the family now. Ty can’t lose another friend, especially one he’s kissed’.   
Kit opened his eyes under the water and the salt immediately began to burn. He was suddenly very aware of the fact that he hadn’t been breathing for a while. His mind had run away with him, and he had forgotten why was he under the water in the first place. Was he trying to drown? Surely there are better ways to go about that than lying in three feet deep water. Wasn’t he at a wedding right now? He saw a grey shadow flicker hazily above the water, and then two arms were grabbing him and hauling him out onto the surface. He coughed, breathing in and out heavily, rubbing his eyes roughly with his knuckles. Someone thumped him hard on the back, making him splutter, choking on the oxygen he’s trying to take in.  
“What the hell are you trying to do?” Ty’s voice rang out angrily. He blinked a couple times, his vision still blurry from the sea water.   
“Wanted a swim.” Kit croaked. He rubbed his eyes again, and came face to face with Ty, looking angry and confused. Livvy was nowhere to be seen. He was cold all over, the water had seeped into every crevice, sinking into his skin and making him shiver. Ty sighed and draped Kit’s jacket back over him.   
“What were you doing?” Ty asked, sounding defeated. Kit felt heat behind his eyes, not from the water.  
“I don’t know. I saw her, properly saw her, and I freaked. All these emotions come rushing back to me, telling me I should hate myself for letting her die. And other things.” Kit said, trying to be as truthful as he could, even though he was still uncertain of his own actions himself.  
“It wasn’t your fault,” Ty said, looking pitiful. Kit didn’t think it would be Ty telling Kit this and not the other way around. “You weren’t to know. But what other stuff? What else brought... This on?”   
“I don’t know. I get these... thoughts. It’s like this part of my mind that I’m supposed to keep under lock and key, it... Talks to me.” Kit cringed, aware of how fucking insane he sounded. If Ty up and left, Kit wouldn’t be at all surprised. But Ty didn’t look afraid or weirded out. His face beckoned Kit to continue, so he did. Or he tried to.  
“I’ve always had them, this person in my head telling me I’m worthless, I’m alone I’m nothing to no one. Before I met... All of you, they were a prominent and constant thing, but in the past few weeks they had dulled down.”   
“Because you stopped listening,” Ty said. Kit nodded.   
“I was preoccupied, I guess. With being a badass shadowhunter. By having fun and adventures with you and Livvy. But now, at night, when It’s dark and I’m on my own, they speak. Tell me all sorts of things. And I don’t know what to do. Sometimes, they say the most rational sounding things when I’m upset,” Kit looked at Ty frantically. “What happens if I listen to them?” Ty grabbed Kit’s shoulders and pulled his face closer to his.  
“You won’t. Whatever your mind is telling you to do, or not do, or whatever, you push it to the side and you come and find me. You talk to me. I will not lose you to the vagary of your own mind.” Ty sounds furious, like the notion of Kit doing something to hurt himself deliberately was making him incandescent. Kit stared, not sure what to say. No one had fought for his life like this before. Once, when he tried to talk to his father about it, his feelings were tossed to the side like a rag-doll. It’s why Kit built up iron-clad walls around his emotions. He tossed everything behind it and used humour to deal with the shattering of his mental stability. But, looking at Ty, he knew for certain that Ty would fight for him until the very end. Whether that be on the battlefield, or in their bedroom in the middle of the night. Ty pulled him into a tight hug. Kit had to choke back his tears.   
“Come on. We’ll say goodbye to everyone and go back to the institute. You need a shower. And dry clothes.” Ty pulled Kit up and out of the water with ease, and they walked back onto the beach, Kit’s arm wrapped around Ty’s waist for support.


	10. ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kit has a bath, finally.   
> Thank you all so much for the support, it means so much to me that you're enjoying the story. This chapter is fluffy, but I apologise if the 'makeout' scene is slightly uncomfortable sounding, you can probably tell I don't have much practice in writing things like that.

Back at the Institute, Ty pulled a shivering Kit into the bathroom directly connected to their bedroom. He sat Kit gently down on the edge of the bathtub. Kit folded his arms tightly around himself, grinding his teeth together so that they wouldn’t chatter. Ty bent over the tub, put the plug in, and turned the hot tap on. The sound of the water hitting the plastic bottom of the tub was oddly calming, and Kit centred in on that rather than the mortification he was feeling. What had he been thinking? Not only had he embarrassed himself in front of Ty, but every single person in attendance at Magnus and Alec’s wedding had watched him as Ty practically carried him across the beach. Over one hundred shadowhunters and downworlders, including Julian and Jace, now think he’s a freak who decided to go for a swim fully clothed, only to almost drown. Julian would never like him now, he’s going to kick Kit out as soon as he gets back from the wedding. He’s going to tell Kit he’s never allowed to see Ty again. Homelessness, Kit can deal with. Julian hating him, Kit can handle. But being forbidden to see Ty... That might just kill him.   
Kit was so wrapped up in his own head that he didn’t hear Ty calling his name. Snapping out of reverie, Kit’s eyes focused on Ty’s concerned face in front of him.  
“Kit. Your baths ready.” He said. Kit nodded, a little absentmindedly. It felt as though he was in some sort of hazy dream. Kit stood up, and without really thinking, he pulled his buttoned-up shirt over his head. He heard Ty make a small noise of protest.   
“Huh?” Kit said.  
“I should leave,” Ty stammered. “The towel’s on the radiator. I’ll get you some clean clothes.” Ty reached out as if to pat Kit on the shoulder, but retracted it just as quickly. He left the bathroom hastily. Kit threw his head back, horrified at himself.   
What are you doing, what are you doing, what. Are. You. Doing? He chastised himself. If you really want Ty to want you, this is not the way to go about it.   
Kit undressed fully, dumping his wet clothes in a pile in the corner, before settling into the piping hot bath. He would have jumped at the intense heat normally, but his body welcomed the heat. Steam billowed out in long strands. Kit sunk deeper into the bath, so that the water rested below his chin, as he watched the steam form patterns in the air before dissipating into nothingness.   
Kit knew he was supposed to feel happy, happier than he ever had been. In the past couple of days, he had kissed the love of his life, made a commitment to staying with him forever. Kit didn’t plan on breaking that vow physically, but mentally, however-Kit wasn’t sure he was there at all mentally. His body is in the institute, in the bathroom next door to his and Ty’s room, but where was his mind. It was back in the cold ocean, drowning slowly. Ty wasn’t able to pull that out of the water as well as Kit’s body.   
But Kit was happy. He was ecstatic. He just couldn’t feel it right now.   
“It’ll come back. This is just a bump in the road. You’ve gotten through this before.” Kit reassured himself.   
He dipped his head into the water, wetting his hair before lathering it up with soap. He cleaned his hair, and his body, watching with some disgust as the water darkened to a dirty grey. Eventually, he pulled himself out the bath, grabbing the heated towel off of the radiator. Ty was sitting on his bed when Kit appeared from the bathroom, the towel wrapped around his waist. Ty looked up, his eyes stopping at Kit’s naval. He opened his mouth in surprise, his face darkening as though he hadn’t expected Kit to emerge in just the towel.   
“Sorry, I, uh, forgot. To give you your clean clothes,” He pointed to the end of Kit's bed, where a pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt were folded neatly. “There.” Kit smiled awkwardly, revelling in Ty’s embarrassed face. It filled Kit with a warmth that reassured Kit that he was beginning to feel okay again.   
Kit grabbed a smaller towel from the cupboard and rubbed his hair as dry as possible. He dropped the towel and shook his head like a dog that had emerged from a lake. Ty shot off of the bed and rushed over to pick the damp towel up off of the ground. Kit moved at the same time, and when Ty went to stand back up, the top of his head bumped into Kit’s stomach. Ty breathed in a little too suddenly. Kit placed his hand on Ty’s shoulder and pulled him upright. Ty was a couple inches taller than Kit, and Kit hated it.   
“You alright?” Kit asked. Ty scoffed, looking at Kit in shock.   
“You shouldn’t be the one asking that. What happened on the beach... It really scared me. I was scared for you. The way you spoke it-it felt as though you had fallen down this hole, and I tried to drop a rope down to help you up, but it was ten feet too short.” Kit saw Ty’s eyes start to sparkle with tears.   
“Oh, Ty. It’s alright, I’m fine. I’m out of the hole,” Kit sat on his bed, pulling Ty down next to him. “You see, that happens to me a lot. These-freak outs, breakdowns. Normally, I have to dig myself out of the hole, and that tires me out. But you helped. You dropped that rope down, and you may think it wasn’t enough, but it was for me. Just knowing that I have you, that you wanted to help me, it was enough for me to get out. And I’m not tired,” Kit linked his hands through Ty’s. “In fact, I feel more awake than ever.” Kit reached up with his free hand to stroke the side of Ty’s face. Ty leaned into the touch, pressing a gentle kiss to Kit’s palm. It was enough to send bolts of lightning up his arm and to his heart. Kit traced Ty’s jawline with his thumb. Ty reached out and wrapped his hand around Kit’s bare waist, pulling him closer.   
“Ty...” Kit started, but Ty shook his head softly. Kit untangled their hands and wrapped his other hand around the back of Ty’s neck. Ty pressed his free hand against Kit’s bare chest, fingers splayed. Kit’s heart pounded, and Ty could definitely feel it pulsing against his fingers, which just made it beat more.   
“The last time we did this, your brother walked in.” Kit reminded Ty. Ty looked up at the spot in-between Kit’s eyebrows.   
“I locked the door. I didn’t want anyone coming in while you were in the bath.” Ty said. Kit laughed breathily and pulled Ty close enough that he was half sitting on Kit’s lap.  
“You’re so good. I don’t deserve you.” Kit said, biting his lip. Ty moved his hand from Kit’s chest to the side of his face, his thumb pressing gently against Kit’s bottom lip. Ty tightened his grip around Kit’s waist, and Kit had to stop himself from choking on his own breath.   
“I want you.” It was the most serious Kit thought Ty had ever sounded, and the honesty of the words made something inside Kit snap. Kit pulled Ty onto his lap fully and pulled Ty’s mouth to his. Ty gasped and straightened his back, making himself ever taller than Kit. Kit leaned up to keep his lips against Ty’s. Ty’s arms went around Kit’s neck, and Kit’s arms went to the top button of Ty’s shirt. With an ease that surprised Kit, he undid each button quickly and seamlessly. Kit pushed up against Ty, yanking the shirt off and throwing it to the side. Kit broke apart from Ty and looked up at him. Ty had a goofy grin on his kiss-swollen lips. Kit ducked his head into the crook of Ty’s neck, leaving butterfly kissed up Ty’s neck. Ty threw his head backwards, giving Kit more leeway. Kit ran his hands up and down Ty’s bare back, relishing the feeling of Ty’s skin against his own. Kit’s kisses got harder, more desperate. He kissed the same spot over and over again, gently biting the skin. Ty gasped suddenly and Kit pulled away.   
“Did I hurt you?” He asked. Ty looked down at Kit, his eyes dark with an emotion Kit had never seen before. Ty kissed Kit hard, gently pushing him down so that he was laying on the bed, Ty on top of him. Ty’s mouth moved from Kit’s mouth to his jaw, kissing along Kit’s jawline, down his neck, across his collarbone. Kit arched his back upwards, his fingers digging into Ty’s back. Ty moved down Kit’s body, kissing down the middle of his chest. Ty’s hands found themselves around Kit’s arched back, pulling Kit’s body upwards slightly. A small groan escaped Kit’s mouth, and he felt himself cringe at his body’s involuntary actions. Ty laughed against Kit’s stomach, the sound vibrating up Kit’s body. Kit ran his hands back up Ty’s back and through his hair, tugging desperately at strands. The entire world melted away from Kit as Ty kept making his way slowly down Kit’s body. The towel that had been wrapped around Kits waist had slipped slightly. Kit had no idea whether Ty had done it intentionally, but Kit had lost the ability to care about anything other than Ty’s hot lips underneath his bellybutton, his hands roaming Kit’s body.   
Heaven. This was heaven. This was God’s way of saying ‘Hey Kit, I’m sorry I’ve screwed you over multiple times, you deserve this buddy.’   
Suddenly, Ty’s face was above his again. Kit didn’t realise how heavily he had been breathing. The anticipation of Ty’s mouth was burning him up inside. Ty was pressed against Kit’s entire body, one of Ty’s legs curled underneath one of Kit’s. The towel had unravelled almost completely.  
Kit’s mouth found Ty’s again, and his hands found the zipper of Ty’s trousers.   
“Is this alright?” Kit asked against Ty’s mouth. Ty smiled and nodded gently. Kit undid the zipper and the button on Ty’s trousers and tried to pull them down. Ty giggled softly at Kit and pulled himself away so that he was sitting up. He pulled his legs from Kit and wrapped each one around both of Kit’s sides so that he was straddling Kit. Kit watched breathlessly as Ty removed his trousers and flung them behind him. He winced slightly when he heard something fall from one of Ty’s shelves. Kit laughed and ran his fingers up and down Ty’s sides.   
“You’re so beautiful.” Kit breathed. Ty’s cheeks pinked, and he started rubbing circles into Kit’s chest.   
“This is all very new to me,” Ty said quietly. Kit smiled reassuringly.   
“Me too. Despite my incredible looks and smooth talking, I’ve never had this with anybody. I’ve never wanted to have this with anybody but you.” Kit still wasn’t entirely sure what the ‘this’ was, but it didn’t really matter to him anymore. They were whatever Ty wanted them to be. Ty leaned down and kissed Kit tenderly. Kit ran his hands over Ty’s boxer shorts, his hands landing at the top of Ty’s thighs. His hands hovered centimetres in the air, waiting for Ty to protest, but when he kissed Kit harder, Kit let his hands fall onto the back of Ty’s legs. His legs were firm with muscles, and it made Kit feel slightly self-conscious of his own body, however, that went as quickly as it had arrived when Ty’s lips found his again, again, again. How Kit’s hands found new parts of Ty to touch, each time waiting for Ty to say no. Ty’s replies came in hot kisses all over Kit’s body, each kiss bringing them closer and closer together. The towel was lost from Kit’s body entirely, and soon so were Ty’s boxers, until it was just skin against skin. Kit grappled with Ty to get impossibly closer and closer until there wasn’t even air between them. At this moment, there was nothing on Kit’s mind but the feeling of Ty against him. They were one person, moving in sync with one another, so perfectly fit together. Ty was the final piece of the puzzle for Kit. Without Ty, Kit would never be complete.


	11. eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sorry, it's been a while, I've been swamped with school work and exam prep ugh. But I'm back with a new, if not a little bit short, chapter. Once again, thank you for the support and the comments I cannot describe how much it means to me to receive feedback for my writing. I love you all, and I hope you enjoy.

The Institute was a buzz of activity once Kit and Ty emerged from their bedroom. Kit was now fully dressed in grey jogging trousers and a plain blue polo. Ty was wearing his wedding suit, having refused to change into casual wear until the festivities had officially finished. Ever the gentleman, Kit thought to himself. Despite the fact that most guests had left, the dining and sitting room were as busy as ever, filled mostly with shadowhunter’s Kit vaguely recognised. The Blackthorn’s, Emma and Cristina were all mingling around. Julian stuck fast to Emma’s side, their fingers entwined as they’d been ever since they recovered from the Parabatai bond attack. They appeared blind to some of the odd looks they had been getting ever since they had decided to be open about their relationship. It’s not as if Kit could blame them; falling in love with one’s parabatai was forbidden and frowned against. It would take them some getting used to.  
Ty tapped Kit on the shoulder.   
“I’m going to go and talk to Dru. Are you going to be alright on your own for a while?” Ty asked. Kit nodded.   
“Yeah, I think so. It’s not like anyone saw me at the beach. Right?” Kit asked, his eyebrows knotting up.   
“A couple of people did, but I’m sure they are gone now,” Ty responded. Kit knew he was probably just trying to make him feel better.   
“I’ll miss you.” Kit grinned goofily, nudging Ty playfully with his shoulder. Ty blushed a deep red, his eyes finding something interesting on the ground.   
“Don’t let on. Julian won’t be happy if he finds out we were... intimate.” Ty hissed. Kit burst out laughing.   
“You sound like a girl from the 1800s. Ty, it’s not like we had sex. We just... Made out a little bit.” Kit reasoned. Ty seemed to get even darker.   
“You were completely naked, though.”   
“That’s the way God intended. Listen, just don’t tell them. We can keep our relationship under wraps until you’re ready.” Kit put a hand on Ty’s shoulder hesitantly. Kit couldn’t remember what was friendly and what was romantic.   
“Relationship?” Ty looked up in surprise. Kit immediately felt like a fool. They had never talked about what they were, Kit had just assumed. You didn’t make out with someone like that and not be in an exclusive relationship. At least that’s what Kit thought. Maybe Ty saw it differently.  
“I’m sorry. I just assumed that we were—”   
“Boyfriends?” The hint of a smile played on Ty’s lips.   
“Um... Yeah?”   
“I’d like that, Christopher. I’m going to go. Talk to Jace, he’s watching us.”  
Kit watched Ty greet his younger sister, who’s holding a glass of coke in one hand, and one of Tavvy’s trucks in the other. Kit smiled at Jace, who was waving him over.   
“Hi.” Kit said, still unsure as to how to act around Jace, who was just so cool in every way.   
“How are you feeling?” Jace asked him, his face and posture nonchalant.   
“I’m feeling...Good?” Kit said.   
“I saw you down on the beach. What were you doing in the water, trying to drown yourself? Do you hate weddings that much?” Jace asked. Kit flushed red, shuffling his feet from side to side like he was being chastised by his dad.  
“I was swimming?” Kit tried to smile, but it fell slack on his face.   
“You’re my only living blood relative. It would suck if you did something stupid and got yourself killed.” Jace said, his face hardening.   
“Oh, I wasn’t—I mean I don’t—” Kit stammered. Jace put a hand out, to shut him up. Kit was being stupid, stupid, stupid.   
“Yeah, I get it. You were swimming. Perhaps you should leave the swimming for when you aren’t... at a wedding, fully clothed.” Jace nodded once and put his outstretched hand on Kit’s right shoulder tentatively.   
“Yeah, okay. Sure. I can do that Uhuh.” Kit nodded furiously. Jace smirked and spun Kit around with his hand.   
“Go get him,” Jace said. Kit wasn’t entirely sure what Jace meant for a moment until he spotted Ty sitting on one of the sofas in the living room, a Sherlock Holmes leather-bound in his arms, clutching it as Emma does with Cortana. Kit walked over to the sofa and threw himself down next to Ty, who didn’t acknowledge him whatsoever. Kit stared at him, so engrossed in the book. He looked younger, with his hair flopping over his forehead and his eyebrows knotted slightly. The look of a concentrated reader. Kit didn’t want to disturb him, so he made himself comfortable next to him and leaned his head on the top of the sofa, closing his eyes. The day had been long, and his emotions had been fluctuating from one extreme to another. He was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to crawl up to bed and sleep for a thousand years, but duty calls and all that shit. Kit longed to be a regular fifteen-year-old kid, who only had to worry about homework and what he was going to wear to prom and what girls he was going to kiss. He shouldn’t be constantly fearing for his life and his friends lives. He shouldn’t be terrified of his new faerie magical powers that he had no idea how to control. Sometimes the sheer overwhelming-ness of everything made him want to throw himself off of the roof of the institute, or go to the silent brothers and beg them to strip him of his marks and exile him to some remote town in the middle of Scotland where he can live a normal, mundane life. Although, with his faerie powers, he wasn’t sure he would ever be completely free of his shadowhunter life. His magic has tethered him permanently to this world of mayhem and murder. If only he knew what the hell to do with them. They could reappear at any moment, tenfold, and what would Kit do then? When light shoots out of his hands and he can’t control them and he hurts one of his friends? What would he do with himself if he hurt Ty? Someone hurting Ty is one thing, but Kit hurting Ty because he doesn’t know how to tame the fire burning inside him? That might actually kill him.  
Kit felt his eyes start to close, and his head lops sideways from the head of the sofa to his shoulder. The sound of the party melted together into a mindless hum in his head as he fell asleep.

Kit woke up to darkness. The day had long since finished, and Kit lay awake on the sofa. He was laying completely on it, with his head underneath one of the cushions and a blanket draped over him. Kit sat up with a yawn and felt the cold hit his arms like a fist when the blanket dropped off of him. He stumbled up, still half asleep, and tried to feel his way out of the living room and to a light switch. Or the stairwell. He was sure he was nearly into the hallway when a hand clamped over his mouth and nose. He couldn’t have cried out even if he wanted to. All the air immediately left his body and he struggled effortlessly against the strong hands holding him still. He felt hot breath by his ear and he wanted to throw up.  
“I’m going to remove my hand from your mouth. If you make so much as a squeak, I’ll just knock you out.” Kit didn’t recognise the voice. The man slowly dropped his hand and Kit sucked in a deep breath. The hand clamped around his wrist. Kit made a split decision he knew he would come to regret straight away, but he was in no way equipped to handle this situation. He stopped on the man's foot as hard as he physically could, and yelled at the top of his lungs.  
“HELP! HE—” His screaming was cut short when he was thrown to the floor. He threw his hands out in front of him, managing to catch himself before his face smashed into the wood. He rolled onto his back, unable to see the man in the darkness.  
“You can’t leave well enough alone, can you?” He said his voice a growl that sent shivers down Kit’s spine. He shuffled backwards, but his back hit a wall. The man descended on him, picking him up by the collar and slamming his head back into the wall. Stars burst in front of his eyes in whites and blues, and he felt something warm run down the back of his head. The world around him muffled like he was back under water. The only thing keeping him upright was the man's tight grip on his shirt. A warm yellow light flooded his vision all of a sudden, and he squinted against the sudden harshness. He was vaguely aware of some sort of commotion, but he was too busy trying to focus on staying conscious. He felt a strong hand grip his jaw, and he was being pulled in front of the man, his back pressed against his front, one hand now at his throat. Something cold stung his neck. His eyes rolled back into their sockets and he felt himself slump a little. Blinking slowly, he was the outlines of three people in front of him, but his blurry vision prevented him from identifying much more than their heights. The one closest to him was tall, but not as tall as the to his left. The one to his right was shorter than both of them.   
Emma, Julian. Ty.   
Kit slumped even further, his eyes opening and closing slower than they were supposed to. His hearing was gone completely, the world nothing more than a distant hum.   
“Ty....” Kit tried to speak, but he wasn’t sure whether or not it came out right, or if it sounded like a garbled mess. The world closed in on him, the coldness against his throat warming, but maybe that’s the feeling of his blood leaving his body. The floor rushed up to meet him as his legs gave out completely from underneath him, and the darkness greeted him like an old friend.


	12. twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to get this up as quickly as possible, to make up for the long period of silence. This took me two separate sit-downs to write, and I think it's my longest chapter yet?? Not sure. I hope you like it. I love receiving comments and feedback so much it honestly makes my day, so thank you to everyone who has been commenting such lovely things on this story, it really keeps my motivation up!

Kit woke up to vines. Vines everywhere. They covered the ceiling in streams, entwining and knotting together like a rope. He blinked a little, his head throbbing painfully against the soft pillow it was resting against. He ached all over and he had no idea where he was. He could hear the faint sound of running water, and the chirps of crickets-or what he thought were crickets. Kit pushed himself up slowly by his elbows, squeezing his eyes shut tightly against the pain in his head.   
“You are concussed. Do not try to move.” A woman’s voice rang out from somewhere in the room. He froze mid-movement, his eyes still shut. Red light blossomed behind his eyelids.   
“Where am I?” His voice sounded foreign to him, distant and rough.   
“An interesting question. Open your eyes and see me.” So cryptic, Kit thought. He cracked open one of his eyes slowly, letting it adjust to the light, before opening them fully. He was in an open bedroom, and sitting in front of him, on her throne of twigs and flowers, with hair redder than flames, the Seelie Queen. Kit blanched back, his back hitting the back of the bed, daggers shooting into his head from every direction. Was the Seelie Queen as bad as the Unseelie King? Kit racked his brain. She didn’t like him, but that means shit. Crap crap crap. She’s going to kill him, he’s going to die in Faerie and Ty will never know. He will never be found. The Queen laughed daintily, the picture of everything regal. Evil evil evil evil. The word swarmed Kit’s head like a nest of wasps.  
“Do not be afraid, Christopher. You need not be afraid of me.” She said, flicking a small blue bug off of her shoulder.   
“Why? You got one of your henchmen to kidnap me in the middle of the night!” Kit exclaimed. The Queen waved her hand dismissively.  
“Technicalities, dear boy. You are unharmed, are you not?” She pauses, examining Kit, who must look a wild mess. “Mostly.”   
“What do you want from me? Are you ever going to let me leave?” Kit demanded.  
“So many questions. But yes, I suppose you must be confused. My reputation precedes me, but so does yours. You must know by now that you are a descendant of the first heir, and therefore, a descendant of me. We are related by blood, albeit, the blood may have thinned out considerably. Nevertheless, new information has come to light about this young shadowhunters fantastical abilities. You are wanted here, Herondale.” The Queen explained.  
“Wanted?” Kit asked.  
“Some want to kill you, some want to see you killed. Some want to see you sitting on the Unseelie throne. I want to help you.” She said simply. Kit scoffed.  
“Help me? For your own benefit, obviously. Thanks for the offer, but I’m not interested in being helped by you.” Kit said. He threw the delightfully soft covers off of him, only to find that he was dressed in Faerie attire; Loose brown trousers kept up with a belt of woven leaves, an off-white tunic that was undone at the top, exposing a decent amount of his bruised chest. His feet were completely bare. He shivered at the thought of being undressed by some strange faerie while unconscious.  
“You are one of us, Christopher. I want to help you gain control of your powers. Learn to control them, and you will be indestructible. You possess powers beyond even my own comprehension. You will be a god among men, feared by all.” There was a glint in her eyes that frightened Kit. He swung his feet over the side of the bed, ignoring the dizziness.  
“I don’t want to be feared. I don’t want this power. I don’t WANT to be a faerie. Now, let me leave.” He spoke as calmly as he knew how. The Seelie Queen’s vapid smile dropped and was replaced with a ferocious snarl. She stood up from the throne and strode over to Kit. She clutched Kit’s chin with a slender hand and pulled it up. His head spun.  
“You are in my Kingdom now boy, and you will do as I say.” She snarled. Kit yanked his face out of her grip.  
“I didn’t ask to be here, let me leave.” Kit decided that cowardice never got anyone anywhere, and he stood his ground. It’s what Ty would do. Not that Ty would ever be foolish enough to get himself in this situation. He only hoped that he was alright back at the Institute. The queen huffed and turned away, pacing back to her throne.  
“You insipid child. I bring you here and offer you unlimited power and you refuse me? You would rather I return you to your pathetic mortal life? Where you are unwanted and uncared for?” She snarled. Ouch. The Queen had really struck a nerve there, but he kept his chin held high, deciding that he would go out with some dignity.   
“Yes. I do not want to be immortal. I don’t want to have magic, I don’t want eternal power. Let me leave.” Kit tried to make his voice as calm as possible. His hands were shaking so much he had dug his nails into his palms to steady them. He was sure that he was making a fatal mistake by standing up to the Queen of Seelie, but it wasn’t as if he could back down now. Not even Jace and Clary could take on the queen, so what chance did he have?   
“You are foolish to turn down my offer. You will be torn apart out there. Not even your faerie attire can prevent the people from spotting you. Your face is on posters on every tree in Faerie. You are a lamb among wolves, Herondale.” She waved her wrist and the doors to Kit’s right flew open.  
“Get out. You want to leave. Go. If I see you back here again, I will not hesitate to rip your throat out.” Kit gulped, looking at the hallway presented to his side.  
“How. I don’t know how to leave Faerie.” He said, his voice a whisper in the wind. The queen threw her head back and laughed. Kit felt like a simpering child.   
“Figure it out.” Suddenly Kit was being lifted off of the ground, and before he could register what was happening, he was thrown out into the hall. The door to the bedroom slammed shut behind him. Kit lay on the dirt floor, his head throbbing with a pain so intense now that he could barely lift it off of the ground. He clawed his way across the floor as painlessly as he could manage. He could hear the snickers of pixies in the leaves, mocking the pathetic shadowhunter.   
He wasn’t sure he had gotten very far when a pair of woman’s hands lifted him up, His head dropped to his chest before he could help it. He was dumped on the back of a hazel-brown horse. The quick trotting of the horse's hooves made his head bounce uncontrollably up and down. He was going to throw up. He groaned a string of curse words, before heaving the contents of his stomach up over the side of the horse. The woman in front of him muttered something in disdain.  
“Keep your mouth closed, boy, or I will think twice about saving your hide.” She said. Kit groaned in reply.

The horse stopped at a small cottage god knows where in faerie. Kit rolled off of the horse as ungraceful as a hog rolling in mud and stumbled back into the woman. She held his elbows and guided him into the cottage. It was a quaint thing, not the sort of house he would associate with a faerie, but then again, Kit used to think they all lived on toad-stalls and tree hollows. She sat him on a chair and went behind him. A moment later he was being presented with a cup of steaming tea. Never accept anything from a faerie, Kit thought to himself. But then again, this lady did just save him from what was likely going to be a gruesome death at the hands of some faerie. He took the tea and blew on it, unsure what else to do. The woman sat across from him. He was sure she looked like someone he knew.  
“My name is Nene. I am your friend’s Mark and Helen Blackthorn’s aunt. I may have pledged my loyalty to the Seelie Queen, but I am also loyal to my family.” She gave Kit a once over. “And I suppose that means coming to the disposal of their helpless friends.” She didn’t look pleased to see him at all.   
“I want to leave.” Kit said.   
“That is easier said than done,” Nene replied. She nodded to the brew cooling in his hands.  
“Drink it, it will help the concussion.” Kit took a sip. It was bitter and tasted like chewing on grass, but he finished it off gratefully, feeling the healing effects straight away.  
“Time works differently in Faerie, doesn’t it? It could have been weeks for them. I need to go now.” Kit said desperately.  
“Do not fret, it has been but a couple days since you were taken.” She said, radiating calm.  
“How do you know?” Kit asked. Nene leant back in her chair a little, as though she was about to dive into a lengthy tale. Kit hoped not, he was itching to get moving.  
“Yesterday, Mark sent word that he was in urgent need of help from someone in Seelie. I left for the institute to see what the matter was. He told me that one Christopher Herondale had managed to go and get himself kidnapped. Mark told me he would have gone straight to Kieran, had he not been occupied in the Unseelie court, being King and all.  
“You can imagine my annoyance when I was told it was I that had to fetch you and bring you back in one piece.” She said.  
“How is Ty?” Kit asked. Nene made a show of looking exasperated.  
“He is wound up with worry for you, you’ll be pleased to know. He demanded he joins me in my quest to retrieve you, but his brothers would not let.” Kit sighed, relieved to know that Mark and Julian stopped Ty from putting himself in danger.  
“So, how did you get out of faerie? When can we leave?” Kit asked  
“Seelie changed tonight, and the Gate of Lir will be miles and miles away, so we are not able to leave until Seelie makes a change that brings the Gate within walking distance. Normally, I would never allow a mortal to walk the path of the moon, but seeing as in you have faerie blood in you, it should be no problem. Just the matter of the exit toll.” Nene explained.  
“And how long will that take? And exit toll?” Kit was struggling to wrap his head around it all.  
“It should take two days in faerie, which I’m afraid, could be an innumerable amount of days back in the mortal world.” Kit slumped down into his chair.  
“Is there a way I can get a message to Ty, to let him know that I’m alright?”   
Nene stood up and walked over to an oak chest of drawers. She pulled out an acorn, handing it to Kit.   
“There is a small slip of paper inside it, write what you will, sign it with the desired person name and send it off. It will reach him within the mortal hour.” Kit took the acorn.   
“Thank you.” He shot off up the stairs and into the first room he saw. He sat on a small carved desk and popped the head off of the acorn. He took the slip of paper out and unrolled it. It seemed to go on forever. Kit removed the quill to his left from the ink and began to write, his scrawl turning into something legible and beautiful as he wrote.  
‘Dear Ty,  
I’m alright and mostly unhurt, no thanks to the Seelie Queen. I will explain everything to you if I see you again, but in short, the Seelie queen wanted to keep me in faerie to help me gain control of my powers. I have no doubt that it was only in her best interest.   
Mark and Helen’s aunt Nene saved my life at the Seelie Court. Tell them I said thank you.   
I am so happy to hear that you are alright and grateful to Julian from stopping you coming here. I know you wanted to help, but you’re helping me by keeping yourself safe.   
I have no idea how acorn mail gets sent, or if this will ever get to you. I wish I could be optimistic under these circumstances. Your half-aunt may be kind, but most of Faerie want me dead. Can you reply to these? I do not know. Also, I am running out of paper.  
You are the one great light in my life, Ty. I am in the tunnel, but it’s alright because you’re the glint of light I can see on the other side. I am afraid here. I do not know what will happen to me, and I do not know if I will ever get to see you again. But I cling on to the hope that I will, and that can get me through anything Faerie throws at me.  
I love you,  
Kit.’

Kit writes Ty’s full name at the corner of the paper and rolls it back up. As soon as the top clicks back into place, the acorn disappears from his hands without a trace. Kit can only wonder what Ty’s reaction would be.   
A loud banging at the cottage door sends Kit reeling. He stumbles over to a window and peeks out. Several Faerie guards in uniforms that could be Seelie or Unseelie stood at the cottage threshold.   
“Shit, ”Kit hissed.  
“Nene of the Seelie Court, you are harbouring a wanted man. Open your door immediately and present yourself.”   
The Queen. She was never going to let him leave. She has spies everywhere. Of course! How could he be so stupid?   
Kit leapt away from the window as one of the guard’s heads tipped up towards him. He grabbed a candelabra off of the mantle place and crept along the landing to the top of the stairs. Nene had the door shut tightly, her back leant against it. She was shouting at the guards.  
“You have no authority here! Take your leave before I turn you all into dust mites.” She threatened. Laughter rang out from the other side of the door. Kit hissed at Nene. Her head shot up, eyes flaring in annoyance.   
“Get upstairs and hide.” She hissed back at him. Kit shook his head in defiance.   
“No, they want me. Let them have me, and save yourself.”   
“Foolish boy, they will just drag you straight back to the Queen, who will have your head. I swore an oath to Mark, and what family would I be if I did not uphold it.” The door shattered against Nene’s back and she was thrown to the side like a ragged doll by the force of the blow. The guards walked in over the debris as though nothing had happened. The frontman signalled to the others to search the rooms. Kit scuttled backwards and back into the bedroom, closing the door behind him.  
“Shit.” He muttered to himself. He bounced the candelabra from each hand. It wouldn’t be of much use to him in a fight against armed faeries. He dropped it on the bed and looked down at his splayed palms.  
“Now would be a really good time to start working.” He said to his hands, curling and uncurling them as if he could coax the magic out of his fingertips. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, trying to centre himself. He heard footsteps ascend up the stairwell, as well as Nene’s protests below him. He squeezed his eyes shut harder, white spots flaring up behind his eyelids. He tensed his hands so hard they started to shake. The footsteps got closer. The crashing below him had stopped, and suddenly the house was thrown into silence. All he could hear was his heavy breathing and rapid heartbeat. His blood thundered through his veins, hot and electric. He felt as though he had been thrown into an oven and was beginning to slow roast. His fingertips tingled. Kit opened his eyes and saw the first white sparks crackle. An accomplished grin spread across Kit’s face, but his happiness was cut short when the bedroom door was pulled off of its hinges. Kit’s head shot up, part of his mind focusing on what was going on in front of him, the other part keeping his blood burning enough to keep the magic sparking between his fingers. One of the guards, the length and width of the doorframe sauntered into the room. With nowhere to run, Kit stepped back a little, his legs trembling slightly. A sickening grin cracked the man’s face in two, his teeth varying shades of yellow and green. Kit wanted to dive straight out the window, but he held his ground as best he could.   
“The Queen wants you delivered unharmed,” The man’s voice was nasal and gruff, and Kit wanted to offer him a tissue or a cup of water.   
“But your head will fetch a great price.” He lunged forward and without a second thought. The fire that had been eating away at Kit’s insides disappeared and Kit had to close his eyes as white-hot electric shot out of his hands. He heard a soft grunt, and the man in front of him collapsed. Kit felt so, so tired all of a sudden, and he stumbled toward the hall, catching himself on the stair bannister. He slumped against it, his breathing shallow. If magic was going to do this to him every time, he hardly thought it was worth it. He made it down the stairs slowly to find the cottage empty. All of the furniture had been turned upside down and torn apart. The kettle had been knocked over, the remains of the tea Nene had made steaming in a pool on the floor. Kit dragged himself outside. The sun was beginning to set. There was no sign of any of the other guards or Nene. Without her, Kit had no hope of ever getting out of faerie. He wished Cristina was with him, with her Eternidad. That would have been really helpful. But she wasn’t, and he was all alone.   
With exhaustion ripping all through his body, Kit started a slow walk in the direction of the setting sun. He was no longer safe in the cottage now that there were no doors attached to it, and he figured he would take his chances on the open road.   
He walked until the moon was directly above him. He could the faint sound of faerie revels in the distance, and he walked to get as far away from the sound of their luring music as possible. Eventually, he found a large tree with a hollow inside. It was bigger than a rabbit hole, just big enough for Kit to crawl into. He was able to bury himself far enough into it that- so long as no one looked too hard-would obscure him from prying eyes. He was almost one hundred per cent sure some tiny pixie probably lived where he was bunking, but he was too exhausted to even remotely care. He shut his eyes, shivering against the cool night breeze, and fell asleep thinking about how long he would survive all alone in faerie.


	13. thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone, sorry I havent updated in so long, I've been sick with mono they past week, and I havent had much of a will to live, let alone write. but here is the next chapter, now that i can open my eyes without getting a headache. im sorry if there are any spelling mistakes, ill edit it later on, I just really wanted to get something out for you guys. this is in Ty's point of view, which is new. I am not sure if i want to switch the pov's like this more, or if this is kind of a one off thing. I wanted Ty to come to terms with his feelings, and i wanted you to be able to read it from his perspective rather than Kits. Plus kit is a bit tied up at the moment.   
> i hope you enjoy this chapter nonetheless. please leave comments, because they make me so so so so so happy, and let me know what you thought of this chapter

Ty was walking up and down the length of the institute library, fiddling with the acorn in his hands. At the moment, it seemed to be the only thing that could ground him. He had read Kit’s letter innumerable amounts of times, trying to pick apart every word he wrote, looking for any underlying message. ‘Mostly unhurt’, ‘If I see you again’. Kit had had a run in with the Seelie Queen, and now he was trapped in faerie. Nene may be with him but for how long? She can’t protect him from the entirety of faerie. Mark and Julian were sitting on one of the desks watching Ty anxiously. He ignored them.  
“We need to help him,” Ty stated, stopping his pacing to face them both.  
“He’s alone, and he must be scared, and he can’t defend himself.” Ty cringed a little when he said that. He knew he shouldn’t underestimate him, but Kit was an inexperienced shadowhunter. Ty promised himself he would give Kit lessons, once they get him back. Mark looked at Ty crestfallen.   
“You know we cannot, Ty. We will not put you in danger. It is not what Kit wants.” Mark said.  
“Kit wants to be rescued!” Ty exclaimed as if it were obvious. Mark exchanged a weary look with Julian, who mirrored what Mark was thinking. Julian stood up and put both hands on his little brother's tense shoulders, stopping his pacing.   
“We know you’re worried about Kit. So are we. And we are going to do our very best to help him, but we can't just let you go to faerie unaided and with no knowledge of the faerie world.” Ty pulled away as though he had been shot, his face the mask of despair. Julian let his arms drop limply to his sides.   
“I can read books about faerie. I don’t have to go alone, you and Mark and Emma can come with me. You’ve all been to faerie before, you know how it works. Please.” Ty’s voice cracked and he stopped talking abruptly, bot letting his emotions get the best of him.   
“Ty, we can’t. We don’t even have a way to get into faerie, and if we could, how would we find him? Faerie is a big place, and he could be anywhere.” Julian said quietly, trying to hold Ty’s gaze, trying to get Ty to understand that there was more than just Kit’s life at stake here. Ty stepped backwards, avoiding looking at Julian outright; he was struggling to understand why Julian was so adamant about not helping Kit. If it were Ty himself, or Dru, or Tavvy, or Emma, Julian would not hesitate. Why was Kit the exception? Ty asked him as much.   
“Do you not consider Kit family? Do you not care about Kit? Do you not care about me?” Ty wasn’t entirely aware of the low blow he had hit Julian with, but he didn’t intend on backing down. Either way, he was getting Kit back. He always felt the slight twinge of guilt at keeping his raising Livvy from the dead from his brother, and he didn’t want to go behind Julian’s back again. But he would. If Julian didn’t grant him permission to save Kit, Ty would find a way to do it himself.   
Julian looked taken aback.   
“Of course I care about you, Ty. Why would you even think I don’t?” Julian looked aghast. Ty pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyebrows knitting together in frustration. He didn’t know why Julian couldn’t grasp what Ty was saying.   
“It doesn’t sound like you care about how this is affecting me. You might not see Kit as a part of our family, but I do. Kit was there for me when Livvy died, he helped me push through my grief and my... stupidity. He is very important to me, Julian, you must know that.” Ty paused for a moment, considering a good way that he would be able to compare his feelings for Kit in order to make Julian understand.   
“It is as though you have just watched Emma be ripped away from you. You would do anything in your power to get her back, even if that meant going to faerie to get her back.” Ty was confident in that analogy. Over the past couple of weeks, Ty came to understand the true extent of Emma and Julian’s relationship. They were parabatai, and yet they were in love with each other in such a way that is forbidden. Since their bond had been broken, they had been so open about their relationship; holding hands around the institute, kissing in public, not hiding the fact that Emma had now almost completely moved out of her bedroom and into his. Ty found it odd at the beginning. He wasn’t sure why they were acting this way after just losing their parabatai bond. He had assumed they would have been heartbroken over the bond they had lost, but over time Ty came to realise that they already had a bond stronger than even the parabatai bond. Ty assumed comparing him and Kit would be as accurate as Ty would be able to get. TY would never want to be Kit’s parabatai, not if it forbade the two of them from ever being in a romantic relationship, which Ty knew now, was something he wanted. If he could just get Julian on his side.   
Julian looked at Ty with an expression that Ty struggled to read. He couldn’t discern whether or not it was a positive expression or not.   
“You think what you have with Kit is like me and Emma?” Julian asked, his voice slightly shocked. Ty nodded sharply.  
“Yes.”  
“Are you... In love with Ty? Like I am with Emma?” Julian asked slowly, looking over at Mark, who appeared helplessly lost. Ty stopped short. He cared about Kit in a different way than he cared about his siblings, Emma and Cristina. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to answer this question when he wanted the first person to know how he felt about Kit to be himself. Kit loved Ty, Ty knew that. Kit had told him as much. But what constituted love? Ty loved his family because they were his family. They grew up together, they knew each other, they fought by each other's sides and saw each other cry. Ty had only known Kit for a year, but they had fought by each others side, they had seen each other cry. But Kit was kind to him. Kit didn’t mock him for being different, in fact, he went out of his way to help Ty, learning his stimulus’ and what made him anxious. Ty felt like he could tell Kit anything and everything, and that Kit would not pick fun at it. Ty felt utterly lost without Kit by his side. ‘huh, is this what being in love is like?’ Ty thought to himself.   
Ty looked up at Julian, who was waiting for an answer in nervous anticipation. Ty sucked in a deep breath.   
“Yes.” He said, his voice steadier than he thought it was going to be. Julian stood frozen for a moment, before nodding slowly and looking around at Mark, who had ‘really wish he was anywhere than here’ written all over his face.  
After a painfully long couple of minutes, Julian nodded again.   
“Okay. Alright. I knew you and Kit had... something going on, but I didn’t realise the feelings ran so deep.” Ty looked down at his shoes, embarrassed. Julian put a reassuring hand on Ty’s slumped shoulders.  
“You know you can tell me anything right? You didn’t have to hide it from me.” Julian said.   
“I didn’t want you getting angry at Kit. Or think it was wrong or weird. “ Ty admitted.  
“You’re my baby brother, Ty. I’m always going to be protective of you. But Kit is good. I wouldn’t be angry, I’m not angry.” He made sure to emphasise the last sentence, just so Ty properly understood. Ty looked up, the glimmer of hope in his eyes.   
“So you’ll come with me to get him?” Ty asked. Julian dropped his head.  
“I...We can’t, Ty. I’m sorry I’m so—” Ty stumbled back a bit, and Julian looked at him, his eyes glassy.   
“You...I...” Ty felt the searing pain in the back of his eyes and a burning in the back of his throat. Hot tears rolled down his cheeks, and he didn’t even try to stop them. Julian moved to reach out for Ty, but he pulled back so fast he almost pulled his arm out of its socket. Without a second look at his brother, he turned on his heel and ran out of the library. He shot past Dru, who made a startled sound of complaint and hurled himself up the institute stairs and into his and Kit’s bedroom. He threw himself onto Kit’s bed, unmade and a mess, just as Kit had left it. He pulled one of Kit’s pillows over his head, muffling the sounds of the world around him, burying his face into the other one. The acorn message dug into his hipbone through his pocket. He didn’t make any move to readjust himself, concentrating wholly on the pain it provided.   
A soft knock on the door made him pull the pillow off of his head. He sat cross-legged on the bed, clutching said pillow in his arms. The door creaked open and Mark walked in. He didn’t say anything, just sat on Ty’s bed opposite him for a moment, looking contemplatively at the floor.   
“What do you want, Mark?” Ty asked, his voice rough.   
“Julian will undoubtedly end my life for what I am about to say, but I know what it is like to lose someone you love and be unable to help them. It is the worst feeling in the world, and I would not wish it upon anybody, let alone my brother.” Mark said, his voice quiet. Ty leaned in, curiously.   
“I know a way to get us into faerie. With the help of Cristina and her Eternidad, we can be in, find Kit, and get out without being warped by faerie time.”   
“You would really do this?” Ty asked. Mark nodded.   
“We shall go and get Kit, and deal with Julian afterwards,” Mark said, his voice serious. Ty jumped off the bed, still holding the pillow, a smile on his face.   
“Well, we have to go right now, we can’t waste any time. I’ll put my gear on and you get the entrance ready.” Mark stood up.  
“Whoa, not so fast. You can’t put shadowhunter gear on, you will be murdered almost immediately. Keep the clothes you have on, and put a small knife in your boot. Stay beside me at all times, do not even think about running off. It is my duty to protect you, and I will lay down my life there if I have to, just so you keep safe. Got it? I want all three of us coming back here in one piece, preferably before the end of the day.” Ty nodded eagerly.  
“I’ve got it,” Ty said. Mark nodded once and walked out of the room, Ty following behind.


	14. fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit weird and jumpy, i apologise.   
> I've decided im going to try and stick to an upload schedule of every saturday, and if i ever miss a saturday, id like you all to go and shout at me in the comments or my inbox(is that a thing?) because id really like to be able to keep to that.   
> I hope you enjoy the chapter, please leave any comments because they all make me so happy.

The Eternidad that Cristina had worked like a charm, and ten minutes later, Ty and Mark were in Faerie. It was nothing like what Ty had ever seen before; the books he had read and the stories he had heard did not do it justice. Ty felt the urge to run for the hills, to try and find Kit. He didn’t want to waste a second, not even to take in the sights. Marks gentle hand on his shoulder was enough to ground him for the moment.  
“Do you know where we are?” Ty asked. Mark took a moment to look around. A chorus of laughter and music sounded from somewhere off in the distance.   
“Vaguely.” Mark responded, “I’m a little rusty on my Seelie geography. We should head east, away from the revels.” Before Mark could finish his sentence, Ty had started off east. Mark jogged to catch up to his little brother.   
“I know you’re eager, but you have to stay by my side.” Mark chastised, but Ty was hardly listening.   
“Do you know if there is any way we can get a message to him, to let him know we’re here? We have no idea where he is, and I’m guessing this is a large place.” Ty asked. Mark didn’t reply for a long time, causing Ty to begin fidgeting with the hem of his t-shirt. He wished he had his headphones, so he could block out the sounds of the faeries, the whistle of the wind taunting him, his brother's unnerving quietness.   
“You still have the acorn, right?” Mark asked. Ty pulled the small, bronze acorn out of his trouser pocket. The lid had been pressed back on tightly, concealing Kit’s message. Ty had refused to let anybody else read it. It was private, between him and Kit, and the last thing he wanted was for his brothers to go prying through his business and asking more questions than he had answers to.   
Mark popped the lid off of the acorn and removed the coiled slip of paper. Ty snatched it out of Marks' hand before he could open it, and shoved it back into his pocket. Ty watched as Mark ran to the nearest tree, and plucked the largest leaf he could reach off of it.   
“Do you have a pen?” Mark asked. Ty frowned.   
“No. Why would I have a pen?” Mark nodded and plucked Ty’s knife out of his boot before Ty could protest. Using the knife, Mark hacked a piece of bark off of the tree and began carving into a sharp point.   
“That’s probably going to cost me later,” Mark muttered. Ty watched fascinated as Mark drew the knife back and hurled it into the bent he had made in the bark. Thick, rouge coloured tree sap started leaking out of the hole.   
“write on the leaf. I can’t guarantee this will even work, but it’s worth a go. I don’t even know if he is going to be able to reply, this isn’t like a text chain.” Mark handed the leaf and makeshift pencil over to Ty, who ducked under the tree so that he could easily reach the dripping sap. In a hasty scrawl, Ty formed an urgent message. He made sure to write Kit’s full name at the end. Ty handed the leaf back to Mark. Mark rolled the leaf up as careful as possible and slotted it inside the acorn. As soon as he re-sealed the top, a warm amber glow emitted from the slits in the top, and the acorn disappeared from his hands.   
“By the angel, I hope he receives it quickly, we are on borrowed time,” Mark said, looking past Ty and up at the sky. Ty followed his gaze to the sun, that had begun to set in the sky. 

**

‘Mark and I are in Faerie. We are coming to get you. Please try and find a way to let me know where you are. Tell me you are alright. I will see you soon. Ty.’

The leaf was ripped out of Kit’s hands before he had a chance to react to the message he had received.   
Kit understood only three things:  
One, he was really bad at the whole ‘staying out of sight’ thing, and that landed him right back to where he started; in front of the Seelie Queen.  
Two, the Queen was most definitely going to kill him.  
Three, Ty was in faerie. And he was on his way to save Kit’s ass.   
Right now, however, Kit had to find a way to survive on his own, and with his wrists bound above his head and his ankles shackled to the floor, that seemed kinda impossible. The queen sat in her throne on the other side of the room, examining the acorn Kit had just received, the one that he had sent Ty previously. She had a vile sneer on her face.   
“Now I’ll have three shadowhunters to play with. Well, two. You and Mark Blackthorn are just halves. But Tiberius Blackthorn, purebred shadowhunter, he’ll be fun to kill.” The queen stated. Kit pulled against his chains, a snarl building up in his throat.   
“Do not touch him, or Mark. You want me.” Kit responded.   
“Want is a strong word boy. Before you... escaped me, I could have used you, you would have made a powerful ally. Now you are just a nuisance.”   
“Why don’t you just kill me then?” Kit sounded a lot braver than he felt. He felt weak. If Ty ever found him, Kit hoped he was either dead or at least out of the shackles. It would be mortifying for Ty to think that Kit wasn’t able to handle himself, that he always needed saving by someone. And that may be true, but Kit couldn’t stand the idea of Ty thinking any less of him.   
The Queen stood up, the guards on either side of her somehow managing to watch her and Kit at the same time. She practically glided over to him, her feet looking as though they barely touch the floor. The dagger she seemingly produced from the ether was something else; longer than a knife but not long enough to classify as a sword, it looked sharp enough to cut through diamond, and Kit suspected it probably could. She ran a long finger down the jewelled hilt, before twisting it so that the point faced directly above Kit’s heart.  
“What I wouldn’t give to end your pathetic life now, and it would be so easy too.” Kit’s heart thundered against his ribcage. “But there are no witnesses. I crave an audience.” She licked her top lip and Kit felt his soul leave his body. The Queen lifted the dagger up to his cheek and scraped a long, deep gash from the corner of his eye down to underneath his ear. Kit tried not to make any noise, but the tears that pricked his eyes gave him away. She smiled and stepped away. Kit watched as she plucked a fresh acorn from a long branch protruding across her ceiling. Kit watched as she sat back down and wrote a message back to Mark and Ty, no doubt luring them here. Kit watched her send it off, her eyes never leaving his. A single, stinging tear escaped his eye before he could stop it, and without the use of his hands, he had to feel it burn its path down his face. The queen signalled to one of her guards, who advanced so quickly on Kit that he could barely register what was going on. The guard raised a metal cuffed fist, and the world around Kit went dark.

**

‘The court’.   
That’s the only thing Kit had replied with, that’s how Ty knew something was very wrong.  
“Kit’s in trouble,” Ty said. Mark nodded.   
“If he is in the Seelie Court, then he most definitely is.”   
“Well? We have to go then. Get to the court, get him out.” Ty said. Mark had to hold his hands out to stop Ty from running off in the wrong direction.   
“Whoah now, slow down. You don’t know how dangerous the Seelie court is.”   
Ty shook his head and held out the acorn.   
“We’re being baited. Kit didn’t write this. Even if he had someone looking over his shoulder, he would have found a way to communicate with me in some way, but this is nothing. It isn’t even his handwriting. The queen wants us to go there, for whatever reason. I doubt she’ll kill us before she’s done whatever she’s trying to do.” Ty explained. Mark knew it was beyond silly to underestimate Ty, so Mark nodded.   
“Okay, so we just need to get there,” Mark said.   
“Any ideas?”  
Mark looked at Ty with a face-splitting grin.   
“I know someone who owes me a favour.”

**

Two hours and a very awkward Kelpie ride later (Ty really didn’t feel like asking) and Mark and Ty were being led roughly by two Seelie guards clad head to toe in metallic uniform. Ty had hardly got both legs off of the Kelpie before he had been taken by the guards. It was like they had been waiting for their arrival because they had been. Mark was being half dragged behind Ty. Ty had told him on the way there that he suspected they were going to be expected, and that they should go along with whatever happens. Mark was sure Ty had a plan, but he still didn’t feel like letting himself be escorted by faeries who are out for his blood.   
The boys were led straight into the Queen's chambers, much to Ty’s surprise. The guards let go of Ty a little too hard, and it took him a moment to recompose himself. The Queen was sat on her throne, a broad smile on her face.   
“Well, you two took your sweet time. I had to knock that one out thrice so that he didn’t get any ideas.” The queen pointed behind Ty. Ty followed her finger to an unconscious and bloody Kit. Both of his wrists were shackled above his head, so tightly that his hands had turned a strange blue colour. Blood was seeping slowly from a large gash in his cheek. Ty practically threw himself in front of him, taking Kit’s face in both of his hands. Kit’s face was wet with blood and tears, and Ty gently wiped away a stripe of blood on Kit’s lip.   
“Hey. Hey, Kit, wake up, it’s me. It’s Ty. I’m here to take you home.” Ty’s voice was gentle. He brushed Kit’s matted hair away from his face. A soft groan escaped Kit’s mouth and his head lolled to one side. Ty Kept Kit’s face steady as he came to, his eyes fluttering open. The faintest of smiles played on Kit’s lips, and Ty had to fight the urge to kiss him, instead resulting in stroking a thumb across Kit’s jaw.  
“Ty...” Kit started, but a bout of coughing cut his sentence short. Ty remembered the situation he was in and turned back to the queen, who was now standing up from her throne.   
“Unshackle him.” Ty’s voice was all fire and fury. The queen cocked her head.   
“Why? You can’t help him, your runes don’t work here.” She said, her voice sweet as honey.  
“Let. Him. Go.” Ty growled. The queen held her hands up in mock surrender, and one of the guards came forward to unlock the chains at Kit’s writs and ankles. If Ty hadn’t been there, Kit would have fallen flat on his face, but Ty held him gently and guided his upper body onto Ty’s lap.   
“NnTy. You have to go.” Kit mumbled, his breathing laboured and ragged, every inhale sounding as though it was taking up all of his energy. Ty ran a hand through Kit’s hair.   
“Shh, don’t talk. You’re alright now. I’ve got you.” Ty looked the queen directly in the eyes. She sat back down,  
“Now. Let us discuss business.”


	15. fifteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, sorry this took like 12 years to come out, theres been a lot going on. But anyway, I hope this chapter was worth the wait (and sorry in advance, I was in a super angst mood)   
> Comments are always hella appreciated I love getting them.

In and out. In and out. Kit swum in and out of consciousness, a dull ache pulsed through his entire body, making every muscle he tried to move hurt. It sounded as though he was under ten feet of cement, everyone’s voices sounding warbled and distant. He was vaguely aware of the fact that he was still laying in Ty’s arms. Ty was running his hand through Kit’s tangled hair comfortingly. It was the only thing that kept him centred when he was awake. He couldn’t help the awful feeling that had settled in his stomach as soon as Ty and Mark arrived. As much as he desperately needed to see Ty, but not under these circumstances. This was all Kit’s fault. He had got him stupid self in this stupid situation and had dragged Ty and Mark into his mess. What if they got hurt? What if one of them died? It would be all Kit’s fault. The Blackthorn’s would never forgive him. He would never forgive himself. If Kit could lift his arm, he’d slap himself. If they got out of this alive, Kit promised himself he would start fighting lessons with Ty. Maybe he’d even try to get a grip on his powers.   
The next time Kit fazed back from a dark filled sleep, he was being carried. He knew he was being carried because every time his head bounced against Ty’s arm, a shock of pain shot through his skull. His arm felt like it had fallen out of his shoulder socket as it lopped over the side. He could no longer hear any talking, it was all completely muffled and incoherent. He was still aware of Ty’s fingers in his hair, tangling and untangling his fingers as though it was more of a coping mechanism rather than a comfort for Kit. Kit wanted more than anything to be there for Ty, to be able to hold him, instead of being helpless while Ty carries the weight of Kit’s failures.   
**  
Kit woke up again in the middle of the night. He knew it was the middle of the night because the glowing white moon was hung directly above him, through the small gap in what appeared to be entwined branches made to form a ceiling. He sunk his elbows into the soft mud below him and made to sit up. The shooting pain through his ribs caused him to collapse back onto his arms, a cry of pain escaping him before he could stop himself.  
“Hey, hey. Kit.” He heard Ty’s panicked voice around him, and felt a pair of arms wrap under his armpits and gently lift him into a sitting position. Kit looked up through the haze of his hair and saw Ty leaning over him, concern etched all over his face. One of Ty’s hands gently cupped the side of Kit’s face. Kit raised his arm up to rest his hand over Ty’s, but a lash of pain made him drop his hand back to the floor.   
“You’re okay.” It was a statement more than a question. A clarification that Kit was alright in order to reassure Ty. Kit tried to smile but it turned into a weird pained smirk.  
“I’m alright... Now that you’re here.” It was Kit’s very weak attempt to lighten the mood slightly. Ty’s mouth upturned a little, but his eyes burned with ferocity. “You shouldn’t be here, Ty. You could have gotten hurt.” Kit breathed, the talking putting a strain on his chest. Ty looked horrified, and the fingers gently touching his cheek stiffened.   
“You’re kidding, right? You should really be more concerned about yourself. You may not be bleeding anymore, but I have no way of fixing the internal damage. Runes don’t work here so I can’t help you until we’re out of here.” Ty had begun rambling, and Kit used his last ounce of effort to crane his neck up to press his lips to Ty’s. Ty leant into the kiss immediately, expressing all of his concerns and worries, his care and love shining through. Kit pulled gently on the hem of Ty’s shirt, pulling Ty down. Ty laid Kit onto his lap softly, noticing the slight spasm in his neck. Kit missed Ty more than anything and having him be with him now felt like the last piece of a puzzle. Ty’s free hand snaked around the back of Kit’s neck, his hand balling into a fist in Kit’s hair. A quiet groan escaped Kit’s mouth before he could stop it, and he pressed harder against Ty’s mouth, his cheeks flushing hotly.   
A sharp, brief cough sounded around the room and Kit’s eyes shot open. Mark was sitting in the far corner of the room, his chin resting on his knees. He was gazing intently at a small clump of mud he had been rolling around with his foot. Ty pulled away from Kit gently and sat upright. Kit didn’t move, mostly because he physically couldn’t, but also because he enjoyed the comfort of Ty’s lap, the familiar smell of Ty’s shirt. Kit buried his head into Ty’s stomach, inhaling his scent like oxygen.   
“Hi, Mark.” Kit said, the sound muffled by Ty’s T-shirt.  
“We are trapped in the Seelie Queen’s prisons,” Mark stated. Kit scoffed against Ty.  
“No shit, Mark.” He replied. Mark’s quiet sound of protest made Kit rethink what he was going to say next.  
“Do you have any idea as to how we can, you know, get out?” Kit asked. The long silence was telling for Kit, and he buried himself deeper into Ty’s arms, ready to accept his fate. Ty held him tighter.  
“You must have been in some form of faerie prison at some point,” Ty stated matter of fact-ly, Mark huffed.  
“No, Tiberius, during my time in the Hunt, I was careful enough to not get caught if I was part of any wrongdoings, which I wasn’t. I spent most of my time protecting Kieran.” Mark replied. “You seem pretty quick to tell us that you didn’t commit any crimes.” Kit said, fully aware of the fact that his comments were entirely unhelpful and probably annoying. He couldn’t help himself; it was a coping mechanism.   
“ Kieran is the Unseelie King, can’t you find a way to get a message to him and surely he’ll help us escape,” Ty said, a small glimmer of hope presiding in his weary voice.   
“I love the way your brain works.” Kit mumbled, suddenly feeling very sleepy. The constant agony he was in must have started to take a toll on him. He made a low groan of pain, and Ty manoeuvred himself so that Kit was looking up at the ceiling again.   
“Are you alright?” Ty asked, running his hand over the open wound on Kit’s cheek, his fingers hovering millimetres above it. Kit still felt the heat radiating from Ty’s fingertips, and he winced.   
“Not really.” Kit drawled. He felt as though he had just been drugged.   
“What hurts?” Ty’s voice was more demanding that questioning. Both hands patted Kit down, looking for the source. When Ty’s hand brushed against Kit’s stomach, Kit cried out in pain, and the edges of his vision darkened. Ty froze and he gave Kit a panicked look.   
“Did it hurt here before?” Ty asked, his hands shaking as he tried to lift the hem of Kit’s shirt up.  
“Everything hurts, Ty. I can’t seem to tell one stabbing pain from the other.” He let out a dark chuckle, but it rattled through his body and came out half choked. Ty managed to pull Kit’s shirt up, to reveal a dark red wound on the right side of Kit’s stomach. Blood was pulsing out of it slowly, and sickening green veins seeped out of the wound, twisting around the lower half of Kit’s stomach like tree branches.  
“Mark,” Ty shouted, his voice alarmed. Kit heard a scuffle and then felt Marks hands around his wrists.   
“Poison,” Mark stated grimly.   
“That... Doesn’t sound good.” Kit said.   
“How did this happen? You were alright a moment ago.” Ty quavered. Kit’s brows knotted together.  
“Well, not okay. Do you remember being stabbed?” Ty looked at Mark, then back down at Kit. “That seems like something you would remember.”  
Kit squeezed his eyes shut as mark gently pressed his hands against the wound, trying to stop the blood flow.   
“I was unconscious... for most of it. Who knows what they did to me... while I was out.” Kit grimaced.   
“Ty, press your hands against the wound.” Mark guided Ty’s hands over to replace his own. Mark stood up and went to the bars of the prison.   
“Hey! Hey, you!” Mark shouted. Kit couldn’t see anything that was going on. The darkness that sat at the edges of his vision slighted forwards. He blinked hard. He will not give in. Ty looked panicked, his hands slick with Kit’s blood. Tears glistened on his cheeks.   
“Ty.” Kit’s voice was becoming progressively weaker. At this point, he wasn’t sure what was killing him; the poison or the blood loss. He just knew he was dying.   
“Ty.” He said again, more insistent. Ty looked at him and Kit felt his heart shatter.   
“Please don’t cry, or you’ll set me off.” Kit said, trying to smile. Ty shook his head roughly.   
“You’re fine, see. You’re not losing any more blood, you’re alright.” Ty said. Ty removed his hands from the wound hesitantly. He was right, he wasn’t bleeding out anymore, but the thick, green veins were still moving, twisting through his body. Every breath felt like a punch to the lungs.   
“Come here.” Kit whispered. He was still in Ty’s lap, but Ty shuffled his body so that Kit was being cradled in Ty’s arms. Ty’s face was inches away from Kit’s, and his breath burned Kit’s face like a hot iron poker, but Kit could care less.   
“I want you... to promise me that you’ll get out of here... go back with Mark... go back home.” Kit pleaded. He’d always wondered what his dying wish would be. He had assumed it would be something heroic and incredible as he lay in the middle of a battlefield having just saved the world. Before he met Ty, he imagined pretty girls crying at his feet, telling him he was the best they had ever had. But now, in Ty’s arms, he wanted nothing but Ty’s safety.   
“No. We go back together. I came all this way to get you back, you’re supposed to come back with me.” Ty protested, shaking his head. Kit used every ounce of energy left in him to lift his hand up to touch Ty’s cheek. Ty leaned into the touch immediately, Kit used his thumb to brush away Ty’s tears.   
“I’m sorry this had to happen. I’m so sorry you had to be here... to see this.” Kit huffed. Heat bubbled inside of him, as though he was being cooked from the inside out.   
Ty leaned his head down and pressed his forehead against Kit’s, his tears falling onto Kit’s cheeks.   
“I love you, Ty... I love you so much you have no... idea. I’m so, terribly, catastrophically in love with you.” Kit laid his entire heart out in front of him.   
Ty looked like he was about to protest so Kit tipped Ty’s jaw down and kissed him as hard as he could on the lips. Ty made a pained sobbing sound and kissed Kit back. The fire inside of Kit boiled over the edges and Kit’s head was thrown backwards.  
Ty fell back as Kit’s body began to convulse in his arms. Ty grabbed hold of both of Kit’s arms, trying to steady him.   
“MARK! MARK!” Ty cried.   
Kit could no longer hear anything except for the blood rushing in his ears. The darkness that had clouded his vision had disappeared and been replaced by the most blinding light Kit had ever seen. He felt it burn behind his eyes, but he couldn’t turn away, couldn’t close his eyes. The light only grew brighter and bigger, until he felt its heat surround him completely. He could no longer see Ty, he had no idea if Ty was even with him anymore. Is this what happened to Shadowhunters when they died? Kit had no clue. He just knew that he was sure he was being burned alive. Popping sounded around him, and fear gripped him. He couldn’t move at all, he was trapped in this state of purgatory.   
Ty, Ty, Ty. He hoped Ty had gotten out.   
The light dimmed, and Kit fell into unconsciousness thinking about Ty.


	16. sixteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the constant love and support, even when I haven't uploaded in ages!!!! The next chapter is finally here, its been 84 years.   
> The past two weeks I've been swamped with school work and exams, but they're all over, for the time being, giving me the whole weekend to work on this chapter. You guys are the reason I look forward to sitting down and publishing each chapter. I'm so happy that you are enjoying the story! All of the comments I get bring me so much happiness, I love hearing what you guys think about each chapter and even give me some suggestions as to where I could take the story in the future. 
> 
> I'll try to get the next chapter up before or on Friday, as that is the day I had scheduled anyway but ya know, shit happens.   
> Please enjoy, I love you all!!!!

It was the most incredible thing Ty had ever seen. He was thrown back as the light emanating from Kit exploded out of him like an atomic bomb had just been set off inside of him. He felt Mark grip his shoulders, keeping him close. Ty squinted against the light, lifting a hand to cover the brightness. Kit became entirely submerged in the light; Ty could only just make out the faint silhouette of his body as he began to lift off of the ground.   
“What the...” Mark gasped. The walls of the prison cell began to crack. The light never dimmed, instead getting brighter and brighter, burning the backs of Ty’s eyes. He refused to look away, even as the branches that formed the prison came crashing down around them. Mark threw himself over Ty’s body before he could protest, shielding him from the crumbling shrapnel. The guards must have heard the commotion because soon they were running around the corner, magic buzzing between their fingers. The light had darkened ever so slightly and Ty watched between Marks' arms as Kit stood, levitating a foot off the ground. His golden hair was bright white, and flowing around his head like a halo. He looked like an angel. His eyes, once a watery blue, now shone like diamonds. His face looked completely blank. That was what frightened Ty the most; what had this done to Kit? Was it even Kit anymore, or had this strange faerie power taken him over? What was going to happen when this wore off? Ty couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that Kit was dying just moments ago. The guards thundered into the cell, blue and red sparks flying out of their fingertips. Kit’s head snapped towards the guards, his glowing eyes transfixed on them. Ty watched in awe as Kit was unaffected by the magic being thrown at him.   
“No.” Kit said. Well, it wasn’t Kit, Ty didn’t think. It sounded otherworldly.   
One of the guards attempted to move around Kit to get to Mark and Ty, but before he had barely made a step, Kit’s hand snapped out, and the man crumbled to dust. Mark choked on a gasp. Kit swept his arm around the room, the light that had been emanating from his entire body centred in on his hand. All of the guards fell into piles of grey ash.   
Silence fell over the prison. The walls and ceiling were nothing but slivers of twig and rock. Kit turned in the air, looking down on Ty and Mark. Ty pushed himself up and out of Marks' arms, standing a few feet away from Kit. It felt strange for Ty to be looking up at Kit. He wasn’t sure what to do.  
“Kit?” Ty said cautiously. He took a tentative step forward, reaching his arm out.   
“Ty, wait. You don’t know what will happen if you touch him. It might not be the Christopher you know.” Mark said, gently placing a hand on Ty’s shoulder. Ty shrugged it off.   
“It has to be Kit. He has to control his powers. He has to come back to me.” Ty said, his voice cracking slightly.   
“Kit? Kit, it’s me, Ty. Can you hear me?” Kit stared down at Ty, his face blank with unrecognition. Ty stepped closer and felt the warmth of Kit’s magic radiating off of him.   
“You have to control it, pull it back, do something!” Ty’s voice became frantic and in a moment of fear he reached out before Mark could stop him, and grabbed hold of Kit’s hand. Kit looked down sharply at his hand in Ty’s. Ty kept his eyes trained on Kit’s, the power funnelling from Kit’s hand burning. Kit looked at Ty...  
And smiled.  
The bright light consumed Ty’s vision once again, and he heard the quiet sizzling of his flesh as he held fast to Kit’s hand. He heard Mark shouting behind him, but it was drowned out by screaming. Kit shoved Ty backwards, and Ty realised it had been him screaming. Ty fell to the floor. The light disappeared. Ty looked up and saw Kit; no light, no glowing eyes. Just, Kit. His shirt was stained with dried brown blood. He hovered in the air for a second before crumpling to the ground.   
Ty sat up and scrambled over on his hands and knees over Kit, who was laying on his side. Ty pushed him gently onto his back. The cut on his cheek had healed almost completely, leaving only a shimmering white line. Ty pulled Kit’s shirt up to reveal absolutely no evidence that Kit had ever been hurt. Ty placed a shaking hand over Kit’s cheek. His other hand throbbed violently, and he turned his hand over to find that his palm was red raw and bleeding. Mark came over to him and Ty watched through glossy eyes as Mark ripped a piece of his shirt and wrapped it over Ty’s stinging hand.   
“You are so careless, Tiberius. Julian will have my head if he finds out you put yourself directly in harm's way.” Mark seethed.   
“I didn’t know what else to do.” Ty’s bottom lip wobbled. Mark’s gaze softened.   
Kit inhaled a sharp breath and let out a ragged cry. He turned his head into the dirt, tears falling slowly down his face. Ty pulled him up into his arms.   
“You’re alright, you’re okay, now, it’s alright.” 

Hours later and, with the help of both Ty and Mark, Kit was on his feet and they were making their way as far from the Seelie court as they could get. Kit hadn’t said a word as he lay sobbing in Ty’s arms, while Ty whispered reassurances to him. He had hurt Ty, he knew that much. That’s what caused him to gain back full control of his body, the knowledge that he was burning through Ty’s hand. Looking at it, he saw it had been bandaged up with flimsy cloth, but dark spots of blood still managed to find their way through the grey fabric. It hurt more than any physical pain Kit had ever been put through. Ty was so good at pretending he wasn’t in pain around his siblings, but Kit knew through the occasional twitching of his eye and his teeth subtly working his bottom lip that he was in some sort of discomfort.   
They stopped underneath a large oak tree. Mark claimed that it would provide shade and keep them from looking too discreet. Mark collapsed down onto the soft grass, causing Kit to stumble down too, due to lack of support. His legs were still weak from the recent day's torture.   
Ty sat next to him, pressed so close to Kit’s side he might as well be sitting on his lap. Kit rested his head against the trunk of the tree and looked up at the starry sky. Dark orange had started to bleed out from the horizon, the first signs of dawn.   
“Kit,” Ty whispered, his breath tickling the side of Kit’s neck. Kit turned his head, his blood-shot eyes level with Ty’s own puffy eyes.   
“Are you alright? Did the magic hurt you? It looked like it healed you.” Ty said, speaking slightly to fast.   
“I hurt you.” Kit’s voice was barely a whisper in the wind. Kit couldn’t bear to face up to that fact.   
“I’m okay. It was my own fault, but it freed you, so it doesn’t matter. All we have to worry about is getting back home.” Ty said sternly.  
“You’re okay?” Kit took Ty’s bandaged hand and unwrapped the fabric slowly. Ty hissed slightly and Kit froze, terrified. Ty tipped Kit’s chin up with his other hand.   
“I’m okay.”   
Kit removed the fabric and placed it on the grass. He took Ty’s hand in both of his, cupping it protectively. If Ty was in any more pain, he wasn’t letting on. Kit closed his eyes and found the glow of his magic. He frowned, creasing his brows as he focused on bringing a small amount of magic to the surface. Eventually, he felt the warm glow catch up to his hands. He opened his eyes and saw his hands, now glowing white. Ty flinched slightly.   
“Am I hurting you?” Kit asked frantically, the light disappearing.   
“No, no. It just... Tingles.” Ty replied.   
Kit wrapped his magic around Ty’s injured hand, being careful not to let too much out at a time. It was hard work, and Kit could feel himself becoming light headed. Eventually, the magic disappeared on its own, and Kit slumped backwards, dropping Ty’s hand. Ty gasped, turning his hand around to reveal his palm, entirely healed.   
“I had no idea if that was going to work or not. I don’t understand my magic. It hurt you, but I could also heal you with it.” Kit said. Ty wrapped his arms around Kit so suddenly he almost jumped but instead wrapped his arms tightly around Ty’s back.   
“You’re incredible, Kit,” Ty whispered.   
“Our rides here,” Mark called. Kit let go of Ty reluctantly, and they both stood up. Two black horses stood grazing on the grass.   
“How did these get here?” Kit asked. Mark smiled at him.   
“I called a friend.”   
Ominous, Kit thought.   
“I’ll take one, you and Kit take the other. They’ll take us right back to the institute. I’m praying to all the Angels that time has barely passed and Julian won’t have noticed you were missing, or I won’t live to see the sunrise.” Mark said, trying to laugh the genuine fear of Julian off.   
Ty hopped onto the front of the horse and it immediately stood to attention. Kit grappled with the horse's smooth body, trying to claw his way onto it. With a helping hand from Ty, he was sitting on the rear end, clutching tightly to Ty’s waist. Ty leant forward slightly so that he could hold the horse's mane as though it were a set of reigns. Marks horse went first, bounding into the sky without a second thought. Kit had no time to properly prepare before they were flying up into the sky. He hung onto Ty like a lifeline, his eyes squeezed shut. You know what they say: air travel is the safest mode of transport. Kit prayed that that also meant flying horses. 

Hours later, and the palm trees of LA came into view. Kit sighed a breath of relief. The blazing sun hung high in the sky. It was night-time when Kit had been taken, and Kit had no idea how much time had passed before Ty and Mark came to rescue him. He feared Julian’s wrath, fully aware that he would get the brunt of it. He knew he deserved it, however, for putting Ty and Mark in danger.   
The horses landed quietly on the roof of the institute. Kit slid very ungracefully off of it. Once everyone had dismounted, the horses huffed and flew back away. Kit wondered whether the horses glamoured themselves. It would definitely be something for a mundane going about their business and seeing two horses flying above their heads.  
“I’ll go down first, to see where everyone is. You guys come down when you are ready.” Mark said. Kit watched him disappear down the stairs and into the institute. Kit turned to Ty, who was already watching him with nervous eyes.  
“What’s wrong?” Kit asked.   
Ty didn’t say anything, instead striding up to Kit and grabbing the sides of his face with both hands. Ty brought his mouth down to meet Kit’s hard. Kit wrapped his arms around Ty’s waist, falling into the kiss gladly. Ty pressed himself against Kit so hard Kit thought he was going to fall over. Kit met him with almost as much force as Ty was exerting, however, he was still exhausted. Ty ran his hand up through Kit’s tangled hair, curling his fingers through the locks. Ty yanked Kit’s head back with a tug on his hair.  
“OW!” Kit exclaimed. Ty looked furious.   
“Ty?” Kit asked, frowning. Ty whacked him on the arm with his palm. Then he hit him again, and again. It didn’t hurt Kit, he was just surprised at the sudden change in attitude. Ty curled both his hands up into fists and started pummelling Kit’s chest with weak punches. A sob escaped Ty’s mouth, and his hands unclenched and clenched around Kit’s shirt. Kit pulled Ty into him, Ty’s head collapsing onto Kit’s chest, sobs shaking his body.   
“You...” Ty choked out.   
“Hey.” Kit shushed him gently, kissing the top of his head.   
“I thought you were dead. You were gone, then I found you, then I lost you again and, and...” Ty said although it was almost incomprehensible through the sobs and Kit’s shirt.   
“But I’m here now, and I’m alright, and so are you. Everyone’s fine.” Kit soothed.   
“But there are people after you. You killed some guards, but what about the ones that got away and told the Queen about what you’re actually capable of. The hunt will be tenfold.” Ty looked up from Kit’s shirt. Kit smiled at him.   
“I’ll be alright. I’ll practise, learn to harness it. I mean, you saw what I did to those guards.” Kit winked and Ty smiled a little. “We’d be unstoppable together,” Kit kissed Ty’s forehead.  
“My magic,” He kissed Ty’s eyebrow.   
“Your incredible fighting ability,” He kissed his cheek.   
“Your brains,” His jaw.   
“And your insane good looks,” Ty blushed and Kit kissed him gently on the lips.   
“You're sure we’ll be alright?” Ty asked.  
“I’ve never been sure of anything more in my life. I love you, Ty.” Kit said.   
“I love you.”


	17. seventeen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm no longer setting deadlines for myself cus it just means i definitely won't meet them. New chapter up WOOO. I super loved writing this one, and I love the direction I've started taking for this story (which is literally just turning into a full-blown novel)   
> as always, i love recieving comments, i love hearing all of your thoughts and feelings on the chapter and the story and everything honestly just talk to me via comments thats chill. thank you so much for the support on this story, I'll never stop saying it because I'll never stop being thankful that you all want and enjoy the work I am putting out. and thank you for being patient with me and my topsy turvy schedule.

As soon as Kit and Ty walk into the Institute for the first time in ages, they were greeted by an angry looking Julian. He stood at the bottom of the stairwell, his arms folded tightly around his chest. Kit could see the whitened knuckles and shivered a little. Emma stood next to him, one of her arms looped around his waist. Kit looked around at Ty, a panicked look in his eyes. Ty’s face was entirely unreadable.   
Thundering footsteps sounded from the kitchen, and Dru and Tavvy appeared from the doorway. Dru’s face lit up when she saw Kit, and she ran up the stairs, launching herself into him.   
“Kit!” She laughed. Kit wrapped his arms around her, a little stunned. Kit looked over and saw Ty pick Tavvy up and hug him, while Tavvy curled his fists in Ty’s hair.   
“It’s good to see you too!” Kit laughed, pulling Dru off of him. Dru’s cheeks were slightly damp, and her hair stuck to it.   
“I missed you.” She said quietly. Kit smiled pitifully and ruffled her hair. He felt a stab of remorse at his neglect of Dru. He couldn’t imagine the loneliness Dru must have felt in the past months; losing her sister, her brother ignoring her, being stuck babysitting Tavvy. Kit silently promised Dru to include her more in everything he does.   
“I missed you too.” Kit replied. A tiny white lie to make Dru feel better. She smiled and stepped back down the stairs. Julian took her shoulder and pulled her behind him, as though Kit was a threat.   
“Tiberius Blackthorn,” Julian said, his voice low, his eyes boring into his younger brother.   
“Hello, Julian,” Ty said nonchalantly.   
“You went against my specific instructions and threw yourself into an unknown world. Clary and Jace almost died in faerie. Emma and I almost died in faerie. It’s a miracle the three of you made it out alive.” Julian said. His voice wasn’t raised, which scared Kit the most. Ty, somehow, looked entirely unfazed. This seemed to piss Julian off more.  
“I love you Ty, and I don’t want to see you hurt, or worse. But how am I supposed to trust that you won’t go out and do something as reckless as this again? I’ve spoken to Mark. He should know better, but you should too.”   
Ty nods once.   
“I don’t regret what I did. Kit would have died if we hadn’t done something. I’m not going to apologise. I’m not a child anymore.”   
Julian threw his hands in the air. Emma took one of his hands gently, calming him down.   
“You’re FIFTEEN Ty, for the Angel’s sake, you’re barely a teenager. I know you feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders, but I’m your brother, and you can talk to me about anything.” Julian sighed defeated. Kit noticed the slight twitch in Ty’s lip, a sign that he is becoming anxious. Kit wished to wrap this up quickly.   
“I don’t suppose I’ll be able to stop from leaving this institute and doing what you want. Just tell me in future, and take Kit with you.” Julian looked at Kit.   
“I’m glad you’re alright.” He nodded. Kit nodded back a little awkwardly and watched as Julian and Emma walked away, Dru tagging along behind them scuffing her feet. Tavvy whacked Ty on the shoulder and Ty put him down.   
“Well, that wasn’t so bad.” Kit said. Ty sat down on the stairs.   
“No, I suppose it wasn’t.”  
Kit sat down next to him, close enough that their knees bounced against each other.   
“You alright?” Kit asked, watching Ty with concern.   
“Yes. Julian doesn’t trust me. He thinks I’m fragile, incapable.” Ty said.   
“That’s not true at all. You’ve proved to Julian, to all of us, just how strong you are. You show with your fighting, your brain...”   
“I was weak when Livvy died. I was blind to what I was doing. I dragged you into something even I wasn’t aware of and I put you and everyone in danger.” Kit was stunned by Ty’s frankness.   
“Yes, but you were grieving. You had just lost one of the most important people in your life, you wouldn’t be a human if you continued to think rationally. Nobody blames you for what you did.” Ty looked over at Kit.   
“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”   
“No, I’m saying it because I love you, and I’m being honest. Just like I’m being honest when I tell you that you are entirely stupid for thinking that anyone would think less of you for grieving over a loved one. It all comes from a place of love.” Kit thumped his chest for emphasis, and Ty chuckled. It astounded Kit just how easily he was able to tell Ty he loved him, when mere months ago, the idea of admitting it made him feel sick. This was character development.   
Kit whacked the stairs with the palms of his hands and stood up. He jumped down a couple of steps before turning around and raising his hand, beckoning for Ty.   
“We live to see another day. What say we get a drink to celebrate?” Kit said in a strange British accent. Ty grinned and clasped Kit’s hand. 

 

Helen slammed down to cups of orange juice on the kitchen counter in front of the two boys, a grin on her face.   
“I was thinking more a manly pint of beer, but you know, this works too.” Kit said, wrinkling his nose.   
“You’re underage,” Helen replied.   
“So I’ve been told.” Kit swivelled in the high stool, lifting his cup to Ty.  
“To surviving another near-death experience, and kicking ass like two badass warriors.” Ty lifted his drink and clinked it with Kit’s. Ty took a sip before putting the cup back down and turning to face Helen.   
“When did you get here?” Ty asked.   
“A couple of days ago. Julian sent out a massive alert when he noticed you and Mark had disappeared.” Helen replied, working a frying pan on the stove.   
A couple of days ago.  
“How long were we gone?” Kit asked.   
“Two weeks.”   
Kit choked on a mouthful of orange juice. He knew time worked differently in faerie, but he assumed it had only been a day at most.   
“Oh my god.” Kit muttered. Helen nodded ruefully.   
“You really gave everyone a scare. The institute was packed with people Julian had summoned. For about five days, Julian really hated you, Kit.” Helen explained. Kit nodded.   
“I’m not surprised. It’s kinda my fault. I can’t fight for shit.” Kit said.   
“Language!” Helen scolded, pointing to Tavvy, who had politely covered his ears.   
“Speaking of,” Ty said. “Kit has recently come into some powers that he does not know how to control. Do you know of anyone, faeries or warlocks, who might be able to help him hone into them.” Kit was thankful that Ty was asking on his behalf, or he never would have done it. Helen looked thoughtful for a second.   
“I can only think of a couple of people who would be able to help you, neither faeries, unfortunately. I believe Magnus Bane and Caterina Loss would be perfectly willing to help you, however, I do not know how easy they are to get a hold of, and Magnus has a very busy schedule. I would suggest Tessa Grey, but she is in England at the moment.” Helen said.   
“Well Clary can make portals, so she could just portal us to Jem and Tessa. They said they would be more than happy to have me for company. They even invited me to live with them.” Kit suggested. Helen clapped her hands.   
“Well, I guess it’s decided then. Clary will not be too hard to get into contact with, seeing as in she was here just a couple of days ago. Although it will take Julian some convincing to let you go so far away for who knows how long.” Helen said.  
“We’ll be with Jem and Tessa, like the two most responsible people ever. Aren’t they like over a hundred years old? They won’t let us get into trouble.” Kit debated.   
Helen nodded eventually, giving in.   
“Okay. But leave it a couple of days, alright? Julian just got you back. He can’t lose you again so soon.” Ty nodded understandingly. 

The rest of the day went by in a blur of being greeted by everyone at the institute and relaying the same information of what happened in faerie to each of them. By eighth in the evening, Kit was exhausted beyond words. He had had the longest, tiring, most painful few days of his life and he wanted nothing more than to collapse on his bed and fall into a coma, but ever since he, Mark and Ty had returned, Dru had been tailing him like a lost puppy. Kit remembered what he had promised Dru, but at the moment, there was nothing he could include her in unless she wanted to watch him drag himself up the stairs and into bed. Finally, Kit had had enough. He turned around to look down at Dru. Ty was stood next to him, his eyes wide and alert. Somehow.   
“What do you want, Dru?” Kit asked blearily. Dru blinked up at him.  
“Just making sure you’re alright.” She said innocently. Kit shrugged.   
“I’m fine. We’re fine. Just really tired.” Kit replied, trying to even his tone out so as not to sound angry. Dru was just trying her best. It wasn’t her fault.   
“Yeah, I understand. See you in the morning.” She smiled and skipped off.   
“Why does she seem so cheery?” Ty asked as they made their way up the stairs.   
“She’s not used to being involved in anything. I think she’s just happy we’re talking to her.” Kit responded.   
“I talk to her all the time,” Ty complained.   
“Yeah but, not always in the nicest way, Ty. It’s classic middle child syndrome. I’m sure she always felt alone and out of place, you know. You had Livvy, Julian had Emma, Mark and Helen weren’t around, and Tavvy is too young to be much fun. And now that Livvy’s... Gone, she’s hurting just as much as you. I’m sure she just wants her big brother to notice her.” Kit said. They had made it to the closed door of their bedroom. Ty looked past Kit’s shoulder thoughtfully.   
“I understand. She’ll never be able to replace Livvy, but I will try and involve her in some of the things we do together.” Ty said. Kit gave him a smile and pecked him on the cheek.   
“What a nice, thoughtful brother you are.” Kit said. He opened the door and they stepped into their dark bedroom. The curtains were still drawn and their beds both the mess they had been left in. Kit paced over to the cupboard on his side of the room and pulled out a clean set of clothes. He quickly removed his bloody shirt and trousers, turning to see Ty was doing the same.   
“Where should I put this?” Kit asked, lifting up his dirty t-shirt. Ty, in only his boxers and socks, grabbed the shirt and examined it. Kit watched him work, a strange blush creeping up to him. It still felt odd to see Ty like this, especially since Ty seemed entirely unfazed by their lack of clothing. He guessed they had just become completely comfortable around each other.   
“Well, we can put it in some water and baking soda which will remove the stain fairly easily. Or you can just throw it in the bin.” Ty threw the shirt back at Kit, who caught it mid-air.   
“I’ll just bin it. Never liked this shirt anyway.” He threw it in the small plastic bin in the corner of the room.   
Kit watched as Ty put a white vest top on, and sat down on the bed to remove his socks.   
“I also think we should bin this.” Kit crouched down in front of Ty and pulled on the vest top. Ty blushed furiously. Kit smirked slightly.   
“It’ll look soooo much better on the floor.” Kit leaned in closer, his breath tickling Ty’s cheeks.   
“You’re ridiculous.” Ty said, a little breathless.   
“I know.” Kit replied. He embraced the confidence Ty had given him. He savoured the startled, entirely innocent look on Ty’s face. Kit slowly stood up, leaning Ty backwards on the bed. Ty didn’t take his eyes off of Kit’s face.   
“I thought you were tired.” Ty murmured. Kit leaned in and grazed Ty’s jaw with his teeth.   
“I’ve never been more awake.” Kit said, his face serious. Ty looked at him for a second, before snorting. Kit pulled away from Ty’s jaw.   
“What?” Kit asked.   
“You, Mr Confident. Not that I mind, but what suddenly brought this on?” Ty asked, shuffling slightly underneath Kit so that he could move his arm. His hand met Kit’s bare stomach, splaying his fingers outwards. Kit shuddered.   
“You. Just, everything you do. I find it hard to keep it so PG around you when you’re constantly astounding me with everything you do. It makes me wanna just...” Instead of explaining it, Kit surged forward and met Ty’s lips fervently. Ty responded immediately, the fingers on his chest curling inwards, his fingernails gently pressing into Kit’s skin. Kit gasped against Ty’s mouth.   
In one fluid motion, Ty had flipped Kit over, so that Ty was leaning over Kit instead. Kit cocked an eyebrow, and Ty made a shushing noise, pressing his lips underneath Kit’s ear, down the length of his jaw, and then, slowly, down his neck. Kit arched his back up, tipping his head to give Ty more room. Kit gripped one of Ty ‘s shoulder’s, his other hand clenched in Ty’s hair. Ty kissed along Kit’s collarbone, each one deliberately slower and longer than the last. His hands moved to the waistband of Kit’s boxers, one finger sliding underneath band, skimming along it. Kit turned his head into the covers of the bed, biting down on the sheets. But as soon as he closed his eyes against the bed, he felt the wave of tired wash over him, and he lifted a hand to stop Ty. Ty immediately climbed off of Kit and helped him sit back up on the bed.   
“Are you alright?” Ty asked, a little flushed.   
“As much as I was enjoying that, I am so fucking tired. We’ve just gotten back from the longest days of my life, and despite the fact that my magic cured me of pretty much everything, I still ache everywhere.” Kit admitted.   
“Would you like an iratze?” Ty asked softly. Kit shook his head. Ty gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, something that would probably heal him better than an iratze.   
“Go to sleep. I won’t wake you up in the morning.” Ty said, helping Kit off of the bed and into his own. Ty leant over Kit in order to pull his covers over him, but Kit took his wrist weakly. His eyes were barely open and his words came out slightly slurred.  
“I’m so in love with you.” Kit whispered. Ty smiled softly and tucked the blanket into the mattress.  
“Sleep, now,” Ty said.   
“Thanks, mom.” Kit replied, before twisting onto his side and lapsing into unconsciousness.


	18. eighteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a hot minute has it, sorry. I've been in and out of hospital this past week so I haven't had the time, and honestly writing is totally exhausting for me at the moment. I'm sorry if this chapter kinda meh, I don't think I'm int he right headspace to give you a proper good chapter, but I was aching to see my boys again, so.   
> Im reading the red scrolls of magic at the moment, and I had forgotten how much I fucking love Magnus and Alec. No spoilers but all the cameos in the book have made me cry
> 
> enjoy, i love you all and thank you for the unending support

Kit woke up shivering and cold, despite the fact that he was covered in thick blankets. He felt his stomach flip upside down and he shot up, ripping the covers off of him. He pressed his hand against his forehead, feeling the heat radiating off of his skin. He leant forward, folding his head into his chest, breathing in and out slowly and deeply. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he was positive he was either about to throw up or pass out. In the darkness, he saw Ty’s motionless body in his bed. He didn’t want to wake him up, but he was starting to become increasingly more concerned. A sudden lurch through his stomach and he was off of his bed and stumbling blindly into the bathroom. He collapsed hard on his knees in front of the toilet and proceeded to heave up his internal organs.   
Kit was vaguely aware of the bedroom light turning on and footsteps sound behind him. He clenched his fingers around the bowl, keeping his head lowered.   
“Kit?” Ty asked uncertainly. Kit didn’t reply, focusing on his breathing. Ty knelt down beside him and ran a hand through his wet hair.   
“By the angel, Kit, you’re burning up,” Ty exclaimed. Ty heard him stand up, and the bathroom tap turn on and off. Ty lifted Kit’s head up gently and placed a cup of water in his hand. Kit drank it in one gulp, and Ty had to grab the cup as it slipped out of his hands. Ty took Kit’s arm and hauled him off of the bathroom floor, guiding him back into their bedroom and pulling him down onto his bed. Kit sat dazed and confused as Ty wetted a washcloth and started dabbing it gently around Kit’s face.   
“What happened?” Ty asked quietly. Kit could barely move.   
“I don’t know.” Kit replied, his jaw clicking painfully as he opened his mouth. Ty nodded.   
“Do you want an iratze?” Kit nodded, not sure what else he was supposed to do. He was sure he was just coming down with a cold, normal mundane things. But something felt very off about it.   
Kit sat motionless as Ty applied the iratze, and then sat down next to him. He wrapped his arms around Kit’s shivering body, rubbing his hands up and down his arms. Kit leant into the embrace and rested his head on Ty’s shoulders. Ty silently rocked Kit’s body. 

Kit didn’t remember falling asleep again, but when he re-awoke, he was laying in Ty’s arms. Ty snored softly by his ear. At first, Kit wasn’t sure if what had happened last night was real, or if it was some strange fever dream, however, the fading iratze on his arm solidified it to him. He didn’t feel ill anymore, so he brushed it off as a bodily fluke. He didn’t move, however, instead choosing to savour the feeling of Ty’s arms around him.  
*  
The next morning, Ty woke up underneath Kit. His mind went back to last night, Kit deathly pale, hunched over in the bathroom. Ty didn’t know what to do. He felt completely lost in that situation. Scratches, cut’s and bruises Ty could handle, but what happened to Kit was something Ty had never had to deal with before. He was sure that Kit would brush it off as nothing, but Ty just couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen.   
Ty didn’t want to wake Kit up, but he could barely breathe under him; Kit must have rolled over in his sleep, as his body was now contorted strangely above Ty, who could no longer feel his arms. Ty pulled his knee up under the blanket and nudged Kit’s stomach. Kit made a groaning noise and his eyes fluttered open. Ty gave him a small smile.  
“Good morning. You’re suffocating me.” Ty said. Kit’s eyes bugged slightly and he rolled over to the other side of the bed. Ty sat up and looked over at Kit, who was laying on his back staring up at the ceiling. Ty couldn’t determine the look he had on his face.   
“How are you feeling?” Ty asked.   
“I feel fine.” Kit said simply. Ty frowned.   
“About what happened last night—” Ty started. Kit sat up abruptly and gave Ty a sharp look.  
“It was a stomach bug, stupid mundane illness.” Kit saw Ty’s startled expression and he softened.   
“You have nothing to be worried about. It’s over now.” Kit reached over the bed to clasp Ty’s hand gently. Ty met his eyes briefly before looking away, not trusting what he saw in his eyes. Ty stood up with a brisk nod and pulled out his training gear. He turned back to Kit, giving him a wry smile.   
“Put it on. We have breakfast, then we train.” Ty said. Kit rolled over to look at the digital alarm clock. Then with an exaggerated throw of his head, he buried himself under the blankets.   
“It’s half past eight in the morning!” Kit cried, the sound muffled by the blankets. Ty rolled his eyes, hoping Kit would be able to sense it.   
“You’re a Shadowhunters now, Kit, that means getting up at half-past eight,” Ty said, nudging the lump of Kit with his foot.   
“Can’t I just stand behind you while you bravely protect me?” Kit said.   
“No Kit, that will get us both killed. You need to learn how to properly fight. You also need to learn how to control your powers, because if you lose control in a fight, you might hurt someone you didn’t want to hurt.” That shut Kit up. Slowly, he emerged from the blankets, hair ruffled, and walked over to collect Ty’s gear, his shoulders slightly hunched. Ty wanted to compare him to Tavvy whenever he’s having a tantrum, but he thought it best to keep his mouth shut. Kit retreated into the bathroom, which Ty thought was a little odd, seeing as in he had never had a problem changing in front of him before, however, he figured he wouldn’t push Kit today, as he was going to get it bad enough later. While Kit was in the bathroom, Ty made the short trip over to Julian’s bedroom to retrieve a spare training jacket and boots. He gingerly knocked a couple of times on the closed door. When no sound came from the other side, Ty twisted the handle and stepped inside. His room was pitch black, the curtains were drawn tight. Ty was surprised to see the room so dark, with the door closed, as Julian would normally be awake by now and cooking everyone breakfast. Ty supposed Julian didn’t particularly have to worry about being the head of the institute anymore, now that Mark and Helen were here, and Diana had taken up permanent residence. It must have been a massive weight off of Julian’s shoulders to not have to hide anymore. Ty could hardly imagine what it would have been like for Julian to carry this burden on his own for so many years.   
Ty flicked the light on.  
“Julien?” Julien was wrapped up in his blankets, one bare arm wrapped tightly around Emma, who lay next to him. Ty looked to the ground, his cheeks burning hot. He heard shuffling from the bed.   
“Shit, hi Ty, what do you need?” Julien rushed, pulling the covers half off of him, freezing midway, and slowly putting the blanket back. Emma lay perfectly still next to him, still asleep.   
“I just needed a training jacket and boots. I can, uh, come back in a bit.” Ty stammered, taking particular interest in the carpet.   
“No it’s fine, the jackets are in my closet, boots underneath,” Julien said. Ty retrieved the boots and jacket as quickly as he could, and hastily left Julien’s room without saying anything. As soon as he closed the door behind him he let out a shaky breath. He pressed a hand to his cheek and felt himself burning with embarrassment. 

Once he made it back to his room, Kit was lacing up his own boots. His hair was damp, the indication of a shower, and his hands were slightly shaky as he finished the laces. Ty silently changed into his gear, donning the slightly too large jacket he had gotten from Julien, and the boots. There was a tension between him and Kit that Ty could not explain. He felt as though Kit was keeping something from him, and although Ty couldn’t fault Kit for having secrets, he only wished Kit felt like he could tell him anything. That’s what a relationship was, right? Sharing secrets. He didn’t want there to be anything unsaid between the two of them, but Kit didn’t seem to be in a particularly sharing mood today, so Ty stayed silent.   
They made it down to the kitchen just as Dru was finishing off her pancakes. She grinned at Kit, who gave her a half-hearted smile in return.   
“Are there any pancaked left?” Ty asked. Dru shook her head.  
“Nope. Helen made spares for you two and Julien and Emma, but Mark has just eaten them all. Sorry.” She said. Ty looked at Kit, who seemed distant.   
“Would you like me to make us some pancakes?” Ty asked Kit. Kit looked at him, his eyes were slightly glassy like he was about to cry.   
“No, no that’s fine. I’ll just get a banana.” Kit replied. Ty nodded. Kit reached over the kitchen work surface to grab a banana from the fully restocked fruit bowl. He weighed it in his hands like it was a dagger or a gun. Ty placed a worried hand on Kit’s shoulder.   
“Are you sure you’re alright? We don’t have to do this today if you aren’t up for it.” Ty said in a low voice. Kit gave him a somewhat forced smile and pecked him on the cheek.   
“I’m fine, sweets, don’t worry. I’m ready and raring to get beat up by my hot boyfriend.” Kit winked, and Ty blushed a deep red. Dru was staring at both them, a shit-eating grin on her face. Ty pulled a face at her and led Kit down into the training room. It was empty and obviously had yet to be used today, as all the daggers, bow-and-arrows and seraph blades were still immaculately hung on the walls. Ty jogged over to the glass cabinet and pulled his stele out. Kit stood a way away. Ty pulled out two seraph bladed and resealed the cabinet. He held one out to Kit.   
“You need to learn how to hold it first.” Kit took the sword, his arm dropping from the weight of it. Ty reached out and gripped Kit’s elbow, raising it so it was chest height.   
“Spread your feet so that they’re in line with your shoulders. It counteracts the balance so that you don’t topple over.” Ty watched as Kit did what he instructed, critiquing him on little bits every now and again.   
“Seraph blades are slashing blades and piercing blades, which means you can stab someone through with the tip, but also cause damage using the sides, say, if you wanted to lacerate someone arm, or cut them but not kill them, you use the sides,” Ty explained. Kit looked as though he was paying attention, but Ty couldn’t be entirely sure.   
Half an hour had passed and Ty was satisfied with the progress Kit was making, but he had yet to practice actually attacking.   
“Get into the stance position,” Ty commanded. Kit smirked at him.   
“I like it when you’re bossy.” He said, getting into position. Ty ignored the comment, as he had converted to full on training mode.   
“Now attack me. Come at me with everything you’ve got.” Ty said simply. Kit looked a bit taken aback.   
“Don’t you have, like, practice blades for training. I don’t want to accidentally behead you or anything. Ty gave him the ghost of a smile.   
“You won’t.” Ty nodded, and Kit lunged at him. It was all too easy for Ty to grab Kit by the front of his jacket, halting his attack. Before Kit could try anything, Ty kicked the back of Kit’s knees, sending him onto the floor. Ty reached around and pulled Kit into a choke hold. Kit writhed under his grip but showed no technique. Ty disarmed him quickly and released him from the hold. Ty pressed his boot to Kit’s back and shoved him onto the floor. Kit rolled over onto his back and looked like he was about to kick himself off of the ground, but Ty pressed his boot to Kit’s chest, keeping him down. Ty lifted his blade above his head and brought it down fast. Suddenly, heat surrounded Ty, and his blade began burning in his hand, but he couldn’t let go of it. Ty looked down and saw Kit’s panicked look. His chest and stomach were rippling gold and white heat. Ty knew it as Kit’s magic, he just didn’t know why it had decided to manifest now. Kit let out a pained yelp and the magic erupted upwards, taking Ty’s blade out of his hands and sending it flying into the air. The magic dimmed.   
“Ty I’m sorry are you—”   
“Look out!” Ty cried, grabbing Kit and rolling them both to the side. The seraph blade pierces the training mat right where Kit had been laying a second ago. Panting heavily, Ty collapsed onto the mat next to Kit.   
“What was that?” Ty asked, a little bewildered.   
“I think my magic saw you as a threat, and as the sword was coming down it just, came out, to protect me, I suppose.” Ty nodded.   
“Okay, so it presents itself in near death situations. That would be helpful except it doesn’t seem to be able to separate a real situation from a fake one.”   
“I’m sorry if I hurt you.” Kit said quietly.   
“You didn’t hurt me, Kit,” Ty replied softly. “It wasn’t your fault, you just need to learn to control it, but that’s okay because I know what we can do now,” Ty said. Kit looked at him, slightly surprised.   
“We?”   
“Yes, why wouldn’t it be? We’re in this together. I want to help you, Kit.” Ty said. Kit shook his head.   
“But I’m dangerous. I could hurt you, I almost did just now.” Kit complained.   
“That’s just a risk I’m willing to take,” Ty said.   
“But it’s not a risk I want to take, Ty, I can’t be the reason you get hurt. You almost died trying to save me in Faerie. I won’t survive if I get you hurt again, it will kill me, Ty.” Tears started running from Kit’s eyes. Ty wrapped his arms around Kit protectively, rocking him gently.  
“You won’t hurt me, I promise. We’ll learn how to control your powers, and it’ll be fine. You won’t hurt me, you could never.” Ty kissed the top of Kit’s head, squeezing his eyes shut. They sat like that in silence for a while, until Kit sniffed and Ty felt him give a short nod.   
“Okay. Alright, we do it together.” Kit said.   
“Having these powers will be great in a fight, you’ll be unstoppable. You definitely won’t be fighting with a blade in a battle, your technique was abysmal.” Kit managed to choke out a small laugh.   
“I think we’ve done enough today. Later on, we’ll tell Julien about our plans to go to Devon, so that Jem and Tessa can help. I think he’ll be more than compliant.” Ty said.  
“Why do you say that?” Kit asked.   
“Just a feeling.” Ty smiled.


	19. Nineteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ty's assertive and Kit's turned on.   
> slowly but surely I'm picking up this story. nine weeks of summer holiday means I have time upon time to write, and honestly, I missed my two small baby boys.   
> Thank you all for the continued support, even during my absence. Comments, as all writers know, mean more to me than anything else in the world.   
> please enjoy the latest chapter!

Kit followed Ty out of the training room a little while later. Kit felt sore all over from his fight with Ty; he was a pathetic excuse for a Shadowhunter, although he couldn’t deny how good a fighter Ty was. If he had to get his ass kicked by anyone, he’d rather it be Ty. Judging by the bustle of Blackthorns in the kitchen and dining room, Kit safely assumed it was lunchtime. Right on queue, Kit felt the sickly need for sugar-loaded pancakes. He took hold of Ty’s arm, stopping him from walking right through to the stairwell. Ty turned around; he was slightly red from training, exertion written in the slight droop of his mouth.   
“I’m hungry,” Kit stated. Ty cocked an eyebrow as if to say ‘what’s that got to do with me?’. Kit dropped his hand back down to his side, realising he was being ridiculous. Kit still felt entirely dependent on Ty when they were around his family. Despite what they may say to him now, Kit still felt a little out of place around the tight-knit group.   
“I’m sorry. I’ll let you go, you look like you need a shower,” Kit said. Ty nodded and continued walking, leaving Kit standing in the middle of the kitchen. 

“Kit!” Dru’s unmistakeable voice called out. She was sitting in her chair at the table, an empty plate in front of her. Kit walked over and pulled up the chair next to her. She had a violent looking comic in front of her. It surprised Kit that she wanted to read stuff like that when she was practically living it on a daily basis.   
“Did you and Ty have fun?” She asked, a seemingly innocent look on her face.   
“I think he had more fun than me,” Kit admitted.   
“What’s that supposed to mean?”   
Kit met Dru’s eyes. She so desperately wanted to be part of the group, but she knew that it was still too soon to try and integrate herself without having Ty think she was trying to replace Livvy. Kit wanted to include her in his affairs more; he knew what it was like to feel out of place among friends and family. Kit heaved a sigh.   
“I don’t think I’m cut out for all this fighting stuff. I’m no good at this, and really, the only use I have is my faerie powers. But I don’t even know how to control them,” Kit said. It felt good to talk about this to someone other than Ty. Dru nodded, immersed in Kit’s problems.   
Kit lowered his voice slightly, so Julian (who was cooking lunch with Helen) wouldn’t overhear.   
“I almost hurt him. He had me pinned down and my magic exploded out of me. I couldn’t stop it. It’s a constant worry I have that I’m going to hurt him or any of you because I’m unable to get a grip on myself.” Kit clenched and unclenched his fists. Dru didn’t say anything for a moment, and Kit wondered if he had frightened her by his lack of control. Julien came over and plonked two grilled slices of cheese on Dru’s plate. Dru gave one to Kit, who thanked her silently.   
Kit stood up from his chair, holding the grilled cheese, ready to bolt for his bedroom. Before he could turn, Dru grabbed his sleeve.   
“I’m not afraid of you,” she said. “Neither is Ty or any of us. We know you won’t hurt us. You just need some time to harness it. Worrying about hurting people is only going to slow the process, and make it more likely that you will hurt someone,” She smiled at him, and for the first time today, Kit felt a feeling of certainty settle within him. He patted her on the shoulder and made his way up to his and Ty’s room 

Ty was getting changed into his jeans and a t-shirt. His armoured jacket was slung over the side of the bed, as were his boots. His hair was still sopping wet, making his dark hair even darker. He turned around when Kit shut the door behind him.   
“How are you?” Ty asked. Kit shrugged and sat on the bed. He pulled the boots off without undoing the laces.   
“As well as I can be,” Kit responded. He pulled apart his uneaten grilled cheese, passing the larger half to Ty. He accepted it graciously, taking a bite through the stringy cheese.   
“We should ask Julien as soon as possible so that we can get to Devon before the end of the day. We really need to make the most of Jem and Tessa,” Ty said through bites of sandwich. Kit nodded. He stretched himself out onto the bed, his arms and back aching after being pushed and shoved by Ty for the better half of the morning. He wanted a rune to help with it, but he was too afraid to ask. Ty sat on the bed next to Kit and, as if he had read his mind, gently took Kit by the arm and applied a rune. The aching dulled immediately.   
“Thanks,” Kit mumbled. Ty laid down on the bed next to Kit. The two of them stay like that in comfortable silence, staring up at the ceiling for a while. 

“What are you thinking?” Kit asked. He turned onto his side to look at Ty, propping his head upon his hand. Under the artificial light, Ty’s skin looked translucent. His eyes were transfixed onto the mottled ceiling. Kit thought he was beautiful, although there was never a moment when Kit didn’t think he was the most beautiful person Kit had ever seen. In battle, asleep, laughing, head stuck in a book. Ty was magnificent.   
Ty turned his head, feeling Kits eyes on him. He gave Kit a toothless smile that sent butterflies through Kits chest.   
“What is it?” Ty asked quietly.   
“I love you.” It still felt crazy to Kit to be able to tell Ty exactly how he feels without fear of being rebuffed. Ty reached his hand out and brushed Kit’s cheek gently, a silent confirmation of his feelings.   
“Are you worried about going to Devon?” Ty asked. Kit sighed  
“I’m not worried about seeing Jem and Tessa. They did ask me to go and live with them after all, so I think it’s safe for me to assume they don’t hate me.” Ty took Kit’s chin between two calloused fingers, reassuring him.   
“I’m worried they’re not going to be able to help me,” Kit admitted. “I’m afraid that this... whatever it is, can’t be controlled or harnessed or whatever. What if I’m a lost cause?” Kit said. Ty shook his head.   
“You can’t afford to think like that. By plaguing your mind with these kinds of thoughts, you’re allowing yourself to give into defeat. I believe they will be able to help you. I believe in your abilities, even if you don’t believe yourself.” Ty said.   
Kit took Ty’s hand from his chin and kissed his knuckles.   
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re perfect?” Kit asked. Ty blushed a pretty shade of pink.   
“I’m far from perfect, Christopher,” Ty replied. Kit scooched closer to Ty on the bed. Ty twisted over to face Kit, who was watching him intently.   
“We should tell Julien of our plan now if we want to get there before dusk,” Ty murmured, his breath tickling Kit’s cheeks. Kit nodded, his eyes fixed on Ty’s lips. Shuffling over more, he pressed the front of his body to Ty’s, his arm wrapping around Ty’s waist to pull him ever closer.   
“Well, we don’t have to right now. We’ve got hours until night time.”   
Ty bit his lip, looking at Kit. Kit took Ty’s hesitation and rolled himself on top of Ty. Kit pressed each hand at the sides of Ty’s head, keeping his face inches away from Ty’s. Ty didn’t protest, instead of resting one of his hands on Kit’s hip, letting the other one move absentmindedly up his stomach.   
“I suppose we have time to spar—Oh.” Kit dipped his head into the crook of Ty’s neck, cutting his sentence off with kisses. As Kit pressed kisses from Ty’s neck to the side of his jaw, Ty ran his hand down to the hem of Kit’s top, tugging on it gently. Kit moved his mouth along the edge of Ty’s sharp draw, up to capture their mouths together. Ty hummed slightly against Kit’s mouth, pushing his hand under Kit’s shirt to feel his warm skin underneath. Kit shivered against Ty’s touch. Ty pulled away and looked at Kit’s flustered face.  
“Are you okay?” Kit asked. Ty nodded breathlessly.   
“I like seeing you flustered,” Ty said suddenly. Kit let out a laugh, his body reverberating against Ty.   
“Tiberius Blackthorn!” Kit explained, whacking Ty on the shoulder.   
“Was that too much?” Ty asked, a little concerned.   
“No, no. I liked it. You’re being assertive,” Kit nipped the lobe of Ty’s left ear. “It’s very attractive.”   
Ty smiled, a look of sudden confidence glinting in his grey eyes. Kit bent down to kiss him again, but Ty put his hand up, blocking his lips from reaching their destination. Kit pulled back. Ty took hold of both of Kit’s shoulders and flipped him over onto the bed. Kit let out a yelp as his back his the soft mattress. Ty was then on top of him, their faces inches apart, breath mingling in the small space between them. Kit struggled to get a grasp on any single thought that was flitting through his head. He felt hot and cold at the same time, and the fabric separating their skin felt like a lead wall. His breaths were coming in thick and fast.   
Ty teased the bottom of Kits top, running his fingers along the front of Kit’s stomach, along his abdomen. Kit couldn’t wait any longer and he yanked his top over his head, chucking it in any direction. He grappled to get Ty’s shirt off, struggling a little underneath Ty’s weight. Ty didn’t pull back though, letting Kit struggle while he pressed hot kisses up Kit’s body. Eventually, Kit pulled Ty’s top off completely, chucking it to the side. He didn’t waste any time, arching his back up, giving Ty more purchase. Kit ran a hand through Ty’s damp hair, his fingers getting caught in the tangles. Ty fingered the band of Kit’s trousers, pulling them up slightly so he could slide a couple of fingers underneath. Kit’s breathing became laboured and shaky. Ty brought his face up to meet Kit’s lips again. 

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Kit pulled away from Ty.   
“Did you set an alarm?” He asked. Ty climbed off of Kit, flushed.   
“I wanted to make sure we actually made it to Devon before the end of the day,” Ty said. Kit threw his head back and laughed. He scooted off the bed and reached down to pick up his discarded top. He threw his clothes back on. Ty did the same. He switched his alarm off, casting silence over the room. Kit leant over to Ty and stole a quick kiss.   
“Guess we should ask your brother. Are you so sure he says yes?”   
“If we tell him everything, there’s no way he can say no. We’ll be with the most responsible adults around, who won’t let us get into any trouble.” Ty said.   
“Well, let’s go then.”


	20. A note from the author

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A slightly shameful plug

Hey, I'm sorry this isn't a new chapter update, but that's coming soon so watch this space. I'm just here doing a shameless plug that I just got a Ko-fi, so, if you enjoy my writing and would like to support me so I'm able to continue writing (until my laptop gives up on me) feel free to click on the link in my bio to support me financially. I always feel bad for asking for money, and of course you are not in any way obligated to give me money, but the proceeds will be going towards me buying myself a new laptop, so I'm able to write freely and easily. My current laptop is broken so I write on my phone, but with a laptop I would be able to post more and more regularly.   
I love you all for reading my story and I hope you continue to do so in the future. You are all the reasons I continue to write and enjoy doing it so much. 

New chapter soon!

Link for my Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/digitallywriting


End file.
